The Long Weekend Away
by sillysunshowers
Summary: *AU* After his mysterious year and a half long disappearance, Riku's abrupt return to high-society life creates uproar amongst his friends and family, especially when it involves the secrets of the mysterious boy he brought back. *This has nothing to do with the game, original plot*. RiSo. Slash, het.
1. Pt I, 1: Upon Return

_**Warnings: AU. Fairly OOC and cliché (with Rich Popular Riku and Shy Sora. But hopefully the actual storyline is less cliché). A lotta swearing; drug use and adult situations and fluff alert in later chapters.**_

_**Summary**__:_ After his mysterious year and a half long disappearance, Riku's abrupt return to his former high-society life creates uproar amongst his friends and family, especially since it involves the secrets of the mysterious boy he brought back with him. And now, everyone must learn to adjust to the new changes, while still trying to figure out just exactly what happened to Riku over the past eighteen months, and also to the boy, Sora. AU. RikuxSora. slash, het

_**Pairings: **_Riku x Sora, onesided Riku x Kairi, and other minor pairings both homosexual and heterosexual – some which may become major in later chapters. Dunno yet.

I'll kinda be drawing on the characters of all the different worlds, even if they are not be in the games themselves. Especially from Final Fantasy VII and VIII.

_**Disclaimer for WHOLE STORY:** _The characters and many references to the Kingdom Hearts world belong to Square-Enix and Disney. But this particularly plot/story belongs to me. Not making any profit from this either. Just doing it for fun.

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**_A/N:_ **I should let you know that Riku and Sora's mysterious year and a half _**was not spent fighting the heartless in multiple worlds**._ The plot's nowhere near that simple. It's actually quite long and complicated. This is a _completely_ alternate universe story.

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_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

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**.: PART I: Chapter 1 – Upon Return :.**

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Rumours. Possibly the speediest form of information exchange that was available to mankind.

It didn't matter that it was almost always peppered with falsities made up by bored and uninspired teenagers with nothing better to do than to gossip and drop pills. Even so, as a wise man once said, gossip was simply an abundance of truth. There was a slither of truth entwined deeply into every grapevine.

As such, the nature of rumours didn't disappoint when on the first day of the new school year; what was easily the biggest and most shocking scandal, taking priority over all other holiday gossip, had reached every corner of Radiant Garden Academy long before even the first bell had been struck.

"_Can you believe it? Riku's back."_

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"So have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The news! About what everyone's saying?"

There was only one thing this could be referring to.

A hesitant nod.

"It's crazy isn't it? It can't possibly be true.–"

"If only..." a muttered scoff.

"–I mean, I don't get it," not hearing the snide comment. "He left, and now's he back. Just like that?"

"Apparently," came the terse reply.

"It's just so…_abrupt_, you know. I can't believe he didn't even _tell us_! I only found out because I overheard several people talking about it on my way over here and was _so_ shocked that I walked right into the guy in front of me! It turned out to be that freaky kid, Reno Lark. But I was nice to him because, you know, his father is an associate of my father?"

As if the tense mood had melted instantly away, an amused quirk pulled at the lips of the other girl. "You're rambling again," she commented.

"And you're being judgemental again," came the immediate retort. "How _does_ Vincent put up with it?"

"The same way Irvine puts up with your childishness. Oh wait, he doesn't." Smirk.

"Just because we're not going out now, doesn't mean we won't in the near future. You'll see. There's no way Irvine Kinneas can resist my charm."

"He's a playboy, Selphie. There are few charms he can, or want to, resist. Besides, what you're doing is bordering on stalking."

The brunette, Selphie, placed a manicured hand on her hips, and cocked a brow at her smug half-Wutainese friend, who was leaning back casually against the brick wall with folded arms and a leg bent, supporting herself.

"It's not stalking. I'm merely fulfilling my natural curiosity."

The dark-haired girl rolled her amber eyes, but, nonetheless, let out a small smile. "Good comeback, Miss Tilmitt," she laughed. "That sure clears that up, your Honour; she was merely _curious._" And for her efforts, the brunette was awarded with a light slap and an affronted 'Hey!'.

A light breeze swept by them, leaving a trail of silence once more.

It was typically beautiful this time of year. Summer had only just passed them by, taking the smouldering heat with it. The slow transition of the leaves from exuberant green to roaring orange and red had just begun amidst the warmth of the post-summer breeze. And now, the perfect autumn weather was designated to rule the next few coming months.

By the time their pleated school skirts had settled and locks of hair brushed neatly back into place, Yuffie's eyes had darkened considerably. The light-hearted atmosphere generated by their playful bantering seemed to have been swept away by the wind, leaving no traces behind.

"I don't want him to be back, Selphie," she said quietly, a small glimmer behind the hard façade.

"I know Yuffie," the brunette replied softly. "I feel the same way to an extent. But he's still our–"

"He's not," the first girl cut in. Her tone was curt and harsh with a bite of finality.

Biting down on her lip, Selphie paused. The black-haired girl in front of her had finally looked away – her head tilted back against the wall, glaring at sky – and Selphie knew there was little point in arguing when Yuffie was in such a mood.

"You didn't let me finish," she said softly after an uncomfortable pause.

Yuffie sharply looked her straight in the eye, distant pupils now molten amber with focus and consciousness.

"I know what you would have said, Selphie, and I'm tell you, he not even close to being our friend." The half-Wutaian looked away, jaws tense. "Friends don't do that to each other. The end."

Selphie inwardly sighed. Yuffie had always been a stubborn girl. When she had reached a conclusion, you couldn't rip the resolve from her even if it had handles and you a crowbar. So what could _she_ possibly do?

"Well," the shorter teenager fumbled for her words. "Maybe, maybe not. I just don't know right now. What about if we just talked to him, or something; listen to what he has to say?–"

"Don't be delusional," Yuffie sneered.

"–I just don't want to regret anything if it turns out he actually has a legitimate explanation for all of this, you know?"

Yuffie could feel her frustration rush over her. Selphie was a sweet girl who just wanted to love everybody. But her _naivety…_

"Do you honestly believe that?" the raven-haired girl spat. "I admire your forgiveness, Selphie, I really do, despite what you may believe. But let me make it clear for you. There is _nothing_ he could _possibly _say could erase what has already been done. So don't shed your tears for those who don't deserve them, sweetie. Anyway, let's change the subject, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Please."

"You don't want to talk about _what _anymore?" came a light melodic voice from behind them.

Startled, both girls were so caught up in their conversation that they hardly noticed the approach of a third person.

"Kairi," Selphie breathed, quickly turning around and attempting a smile. "Uh, hey."

Behind her stood a tall slender redhead girl, also wearing the same blazer, shirt and skirt ensemble worn by the other two girls – the standard uniform of their prestigious private school. Silky auburn hair framed a flawless face – soft pink bow lips, stunning ocean blue eyes and a light dusting of freckles over the bridge of her pert straight nose. Everything about this girl was poised and graceful; nothing short of perfection. It was one of the main reasons why Kairi was such a favourite with the teachers and parents, idolised by all the girls and held the hearts of all the boys in her dainty hands. Her vindictive streak seemed only secondary to her flawlessness.

But her perfect world was about to be shattered, and she doesn't even know it yet.

"First day back and there's boy trouble already? And how has Vincent pissed you off this time, my dear Miss. Yakira Kirasagi?" she teased, giving glimpses of perfectly straight pearly white teeth, her sapphire eyes to twinkling in the sunlight.

Selphie could only gape – her mouth opening and closing like a stunned fish. Yuffie, on the other hand, stayed composed and silent.

Of all people to walk in at that particular moment, it had to be Kairi. She was by far the last person they wanted to broach the topic of Riku with. It was almost ironic that Kairi was probably the person who deserved most to know about Riku's return, and yet, she seemed to be the last to actually find out and was _by far_ the last person anyone dared to inform of such a fact.

…_Strange. _Kairi's lips twisted into a confused smile.

"You realise the two of you have absolutely no acting talent, given this display," she joked, lifting an elegant eyebrow. "So what's going on? Why are you two acting so weirdly?"

The redhead beauty looked back and forth from the guilty countenance of Selphie and the seemingly nonchalant expression of Yuffie. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something big had happened.

"Have we all become mutes?" she pressed, a little amused at her friends' antics, but at the same time also rapidly losing her patience.

What could be _so_ important that her best friends, whom she shared so much memories and intimate secrets with and vice versa, felt the need to keep it from her? For someone who usually knew everything about everyone, being the only person ignorant of an obvious scandal did not sit well with Kairi. At all.

Finally, Selphie cracked under the pressure of the redhead's intense stare.

"Okay," the brunette let out, hands fluttering with her exclamation. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to do something crazy or stupid."

Kairi shook her head with amusement at Selphie's overactive imagination. "And why would I do something like that?" If anything were ever to be said about Kairi Spencer, her calm collectedness would not be a neglected topic.

However, Selphie wasn't joking. It was rare to see the bubbly brunette behave so seriously when she normally breathed sunshine.

Kairi's brows crinkled. So this was serious. Enunciating clearly every syllable, the redhead repeated slowly so that there would be no ambiguity or misinterpretation of her words.

"What is going on?"

But Selphie was adamant. "Promise me first, Kairi."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kairi snapped, her curiosity and irritation rising, clashing together. "I can't promise you something like that if I don't know what this is all about. Stop being so childish and just tell me what happened."

"Not until you promise me," the brunette pressed stubbornly.

"For heaven's sake, Selphie," Yuffie cast an annoyed glance at the shorter girl. "She deserves to know."

…_Deserves to know _what_?_

The half-Wutaianese girl turned slowly to her friend. "Kairi," she said gently, and then paused.

There really was no easy way to say this, other than to just say it. Since when did two words become so difficult for her lips to form?

"Kairi…Riku's back."

"Yuffie!" Selphie immediately hissed, giving her a slap on the arm. "How could you!"

"How could I not?" the yellow-eyed girl retorted, indignant. "Kairi, of _all_ people, deserves to know. Right, Kairi? Since when can _you _decided what Kairi can or can't know?" Turning to the redhead, "That utter _bastard_. I mean, how dare he just…_waltz _back into our lives as if nothing's happened. Does he actually think we'd let him? I mean, it's completely ludicrous, don't you think?"

"…"

"…Kairi?"

But the redhead wasn't listening, frozen in time. Those deep blue irises, though appeared to be staring straight into Yuffie's eyes, in actuality didn't register anything.

In fact, Kairi couldn't concentrate on anything at that moment. Not the warm breeze that made a few red strands flutter across her face and tickle her nose, or the group of boys walking by with smiles of appreciation, or the fact that she was currently completely ignoring her two best friends, the two whom were speaking to her and looking decidedly worried at her lack of response.

But these were merely details. So microscopically insignificant in comparison to what has captured and monopolised her attention, drowning everything else out. Like a broken record, playing the same track over and over again endlessly, was simply the word _'Riku'_.

_Riku. Riku. Riku. _

_The endless mystery that was Riku._

_There were so many questions to be asked. _

_Pity so many of them were unanswered._

"Riku?" she breathed, suddenly feeling faint. "As in Riku Samuel? _Our_ Riku?"

Her panic was rising and becoming mroe perceptible by the second.

"He…came back?"

"It appears so," Yuffie disapproving look at Selphie dissipated as soon as her eyes fell upon the her fiery-haired friend's face. "I'm so sorry, Kairi."

"I–," Kairi stopped short. It was suddenly difficult to breathe; her radiance having been ripped from her, leaving behind this pale imitation, this nervous wreck which stood before them. "I don't believe it."

It wasn't such an unexpected answer. Yuffie lifted herself off the wall and gingerly stepped closer, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "We didn't either at first," she told her. "But then…I saw his car in his usual spot earlier."

"His car?" Kairi repeated blankly, thoughts a thousand miles away.

"And everyone's been talking about it," Selphie added. "About him being back. To be honest, I'm a little surprised you haven't heard it yet."

No, she hadn't heard. But suddenly, all those strange looks she received this morning made perfect sense. All along, they all knew.

And no one told her.

"But…he would have said something," the redhead sounded out slowly, as if the clearer she said it, the truer it will become. "He would have told us if he was coming back," she repeated.

"He should have," Yuffie affirmed, "but he's a dickhead." The raven-haired girl emitted a sigh. "I don't know. Maybe he just doesn't care. It's not like he told any of us he was leaving before dropping off the face of the planet the year and a half ago."

Kairi's only reaction was a flinch. Her eyes were invisible beneath the shadows cast by long wine-coloured locks.

"Yuffie," Selphie warned with a look in her eye. _And this is supposed to be helping Kairi, how?_

Yuffie was about to retort when Kairi's head snapped back up.

"No," she breathed. "She's right."

Twisting out of her friends' grasps despite their protests, Kairi took a shaky step back.

"He can't do this to us again. The first time was bad enough; I refuse to let us be ditched like that again, just thrown away like a used rag. We were meant to be his _best friends_! And he was meant to be my–"

Kairi stopped short.

Shocked by how hysterical she had let herself become, she left without another word. Riku tended to have such profound effects on her emotions.

"Kairi?" Selphie began to run after her, only to be held back by her half-Wutainese friend. "Kairi! Where are you going?" Selphie called to the redhead's back.

No answer.

She gave one more last ditched effort. "Class is about to start, Kairi!"

Kairi could hear them calling her back, wanting to talk with her. Reason with her.

But she remained silent. She chose to deafen her ears.

Kairi really didn't want to talk to them right now. Or _anybody else _right now, for that matter. Save for one person – the cause of all this drama. The one with all the answers.

Riku.

So as she walked away, arms hugging herself, Kairi concentrated on her every step and forced her eyes to remain forward lest her nerves consume her and she ran away in cowardice. She tried not to listen to her friends hiss quietly to each other about her and about this horrible mess of a drama she found herself lost in. But sometimes, the softest whispers resonated like the loudest of screams.

"Why didn't you tell me that _Kairi_, of all people, was behind me? Some friend you are."

"What? I didn't see her either."

"Have your eyes stopped working? How could you not? You were facing her direction– "

"_God_, Yuffie! You and I of all people should about how hard this is for her. I mean, she and Riku have been going out on and off for, like, _ages_; and they were best friends long before that. He just…disappeared, you know, without a single word. No one knew where he went or why he left. And now he's back a year and a half later, out of the blue."

Sigh.

"You don't think I know that?" Yuffie's voice sounded defeated. "Poor Kairi."

Kairi could only hug herself tighter.

_Yes. Poor Kairi indeed._

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A sculpted hand brushed a few strands of light silver hair out of a pair of turquoise eyes, only to have those same locks fall back again.

But Riku was far from annoyed.

Though the first classes haven't even begun yet, if the day continued going like it has unfolded so far, it would turn out to be a fantastic day.

In many ways, it was almost as if he had never left.

As soon as Riku stepped out of his car and set foot on school property this morning – the first time in eighteen or so months – he was overwhelmed with a tirade of greetings and welcome backs, many from people he barely knew the names of but who knew his name very well. He didn't know what he was expecting when he got up that morning. But such a positive reception to his mysterious return was not one of them.

What these nameless, faceless people thought about him and his reappearance, although reassuring, wasn't what mattered to him. The only people whose opinions he valued he had not seen yet since his homecoming to Radiant Garden.

Ironically, it was also their reactions that he was ultimately dreading to receive. What he had done, there really was no excuse. Just selfishness.

So it really surprised Riku just how well Tidus and Wakka took to the news of his abrupt return. Though Wakka was curious, overly curious, and angry at the silver head's initial disappearance, he seemed mostly happy to see his friend again. Tidus, usually the fair level-headed one of them all, silently took up the role of peace-keeper by opting to giving Riku the time he needed to tell them what he wished to impart. But Riku could tell that he, too, was dying to know the mystery behind all of this and that the silver-haired teen shouldn't take advantage of the blond's patience for too long.

However, Riku knew he was being bathing in blissful ignorance. Despite the positive reception, the day was still early; Tidus and particularly Wakka could easily run out of patience by lunch. Besides, the worst confrontations have barely begun.

But right now, he was just content to be in the company of two of his closest friends in the precious few moments before class officially started, listening to Wakka tell his tall tales while Tidus sat with him, cocking a brow at all the questionable facts in his recount, which was often enough.

Just like old times. It was as if the past eighteen months had never happened.

"I'm telling ya, bruddas, it was a Mike Tyson-_resque_ left-hook right into my eye," Wakka gestured to the faint bruise surrounding his right eye – which, in all honesty, kind of suited the boisterous personality he had.

Tidus raised an eyebrow, indicating a gross exaggeration in Wakka's recount.

"And thank god I'm one tough mother fucker, 'cause that didn't slow me the tiniest bit down, ya? The sorry bastard was pissin' himself when I got right back up and let 'im have it – delivered a fist right into the fucker's smirkin' face. He got carried out of the pool on a stretcher, beat up as shit." Tidus' other blond brow rose to join its twin. "All black and blue."

" 'Black and blue', huh?" the blond scoffed smiling.

"So what did Cid say?" Riku asked.

"Nothin' " Wakka shrugged, smirking with satisfaction, placing his hands behind his one-of-a-kind reddish-orange quiff with the clashing blue headband, as he leaned back in his chair.

For the life of him, Riku could never understand why someone of Wakka's social and economic standing, with all the money and stylists and etiquette training in the world at his beck and call, could come out with such…strange choices in self-presentation, both in appearance and in his callous way of talking and acting. But then again, it was enviable he didn't feel the pressure of the standards of appearance and behaviour, particularly in the world they were born into.

"Coach was really good about it," Wakka smirked. "That little shit goes up ta his coach, who goes up ta Coach and complains about my 'aggravated assault', even though he started it, ya? But backed down completely after they found out who I was. Coach just told me ta stop fightin'."

It wasn't such a rare occurrence for family fortune and prestige to carry such weight. Riku couldn't believe he was ever once so ignorant to it all.

Wakka failed to see Tidus' smirk.

"Of course, Wakka. You sure taught Number 12 a lesson."

"Wha'?" Wakka sounded incredibly offended. "I fuckin' did!"

"Last time I checked, he left the field with only a few minor bruises. Definitely not 'black and blue' enough to be carried off in a stretcher, wouldn't you say?"

"Tidus," Wakka was not impressed, typically out of comebacks as he knew the blond was right. "Ya ruinin' tha story, brudda. It's all about da embellishment! Facts are borin'."

That was enough to cause the three boys to dissolve into light laughter. Like they would before.

"_And_ I kicked the winnin' goal ta rub into those dirty wankers' faces," added the redhead for good measure. "I'm telling ya, it's gonna be a _good_ year for the Besaid Aurochs," he whistled.

_The Besaid Aurochs. _

A ghost of a smile flicked through Riku's face.

It was ironic that the things which had meant so much to him were now so painful to hear. But he only had himself to blame. It was up to him to make things right again, even if all everyone will care about is the last year and a half:

Where he's been. And why.

Riku's sombre thoughts, although subtle, did not slip by Tidus. Things rarely did escape the blond's observant gaze.

"What are you going do about the team?" he addressed the silver-haired teen.

"I don't know," Riku replied honestly. Who would want to welcome back a captain who abandoned his team in the middle of Blitzball season?

Tidus hesitated. "Maybe," he toyed with the word, "you should talk to Coach. See if you can get back onto the team. Or," he eyed him meaningfully, "maybe you could talk to your father about it, you know?"

Yes he did know. Bribery, persuasion, blackmail – the rich boy solution out of every problem.

"No," Riku was adamant. If he ever got back onto the team, he wanted it to be because of his skills as a blitzball player and a team athlete, and not because of how powerful and influential his parents were. Besides, Cid Highwind wasn't exactly one to take bribes or bend under threats. "I'll talk to Cid myself."

Tidus nodded. The boys would only resent him more if his daddy bought his way back onto the team anyway.

Through all of this, Wakka remained silent, which was decidedly unusual for him. But Riku could guess why.

According to his sources, from the ashes of his own failed captaincy, rose Wakka, the Auroch's new shining beacon of light, who was slowly guiding the team back on the path to glory. Riku knew Wakka, worked so hard to achieve such respect, would be reluctant to just let it go, especially to a deserter such as himself.

The boisterous redhead's smile curled up and died on itself. "Alright. enough shittin' around tha pink elephant," his crossed his arms with narrowed eyes. "Tell us. Where _the fuck_ have you been, Riku?"

The unspoken question was now spoken.

He didn't need to elaborate further. It was like a game: seeing who would break first and ask the question that was on all their minds. Riku had been surprised it they hadn't broken sooner.

"I thought we've been through this," he sighed, raking a hand through silver locks.

But there was only so much he could stall before they dragged him back before the firing squad.

"You fuckin' dodged every question," Wakka grated. "Stop fuckin' around."

"Nothing. Nothing happened. I just need a break, okay? Drop it."

"Almost two years," the taller teen's gruff voice dripped in sarcasm, "is _not_ what I call 'nothing happened', _ya_?"

Frustrated by his undeserving sense of frustration at Wakka's curiosity, "Well, what the hell do you want me to say then?"

"How 'bout tha fucking _truth_, Riku? Or is dat too hard for ya?"

Riku felt like he's been backed into a corner. A very hard and unforgiving corner. He helplessly looked to the normally peace-loving level-headed Tidus, who had become silent for most of the exchange. But all the blond did was stare back at him with a guarded gaze.

He obviously wanted answers too.

Riku felt hot burn shoot up his throat. "I realise I owe you all an explanation," Riku finally conceded.

"Oh do ya now?"

Riku ignored the sarcasm, choosing to focus on what he was saying. "It's just–"

His voice was lost as soon as his words just barely reached the tip of his tongue. The silver-haired boy had this perfectly planned out excuse to use – a speech he had been practising over and over again in his head down to the perfect order of inflections and word stress. But theory always looked prettier on paper. His mind was currently a jumbled mess, and he could barely remember what the basic excuse was, let alone recite his speech the way he had originally planned.

Although it was unavoidable, it was still too soon for him. It was too personal and even now, still too fresh and prevalent on his mind for it to be an easy task to accomplish. Riku schooled his emotions. He hated being under pressure.

"It was just something I needed to do," he finished.

Wakka snorted at the (once again) vague response. "Touchin', really," the redhead deadpanned. "Breakin' my stony black heart. Now, wanna expand a little?"

Riku's lips set into a half scowl. "I went away. Stuff happened. Now I'm back. The end. Good enough for you?"

"Gee, I dunno, brudda. That _was_ mighty detailed."

"Stop." Tidus finally got sick of standing on the sidelines. "Stop fighting like you're still a bunch of two-year olds. Wakka," he turned to the muscular teen. "Just drop it, okay. Give him a break?"

Wakka shot an annoyed look to his blond friend. "Give 'im a _break?_ Like a year n' a half wasn't enough of one? But sure, I'll give him a break."

And that was all Riku heard before a solid fist connected with his jaw.

Pain erupted from the place of impact as he saw a split second of white, before his view repositioned itself on the floor of the classroom, surrounded by scattered books and lopsided chairs. Tidus immediately bristled angrily at Wakka, while shocked but intrigued whispers occurred throughout the classroom.

Yep, he deserved that.

Rubbing his sore jaw, "You done yet, Kane?"

Riku hadn't called him by his last name since they were rivals at Blitzball tryouts in primary school.

Ignoring Tidus' angry admonitions, "Yeah I'm done," he growled back, but nonetheless extended a hand to his fallen friend.

Riku grabbed onto the proffered hand and pulled himself up, knowing that that was all that needed to happen.

Tidus sighed. He normally hated violence, but knew that this one was just what was needed between the boys. "You're both lucky that no teachers saw that."

Wakka rolled his chocolate eyes but remained silent nonetheless, just helping Riku move all the chairs and fallen items back into place that had been thrown around in their short-lived scuffle.

"Good," Tidus patted the redhead's arm. "I'm just glad you're back in one piece, you know," turning to the other teenager. "I kind of had this fear your head would turn up in a ransom box."

"Morbid," Riku commented.

"I've been watching _Se7en_."

"And how would dat ransom work anyway?" Wakka cut in, the side of one lip lifting, all that happened merely a half a minute ago suddenly forgotten. "If the hostage is obviously dead already?"

"Not sure I enjoy joking about me being dead and all…" Riku laughed.

Wakka shrugged comically. "Anyway," a crazy glint back in his eye. "There've been some fine ladies dat transfered to our lovely school in da last year, brudda. Ooh you should see thum!" he whistled.

Of course, women. A favourite subject of Wakka's.

Riku made a noncommittal face. "Yeah, cool. Did you go for any?"

Wakka gave him a strange look. "Not quite da reaction I expected, brudda, especially from you."

Riku was about brood on another issue plaguing his mind – why such news no longer interested him – but he suddenly found himself no longer listening. Something far more significant than the news of a few new hot girls had locked up his attention and thrown away the key.

At first only a few subtle gasps, the entire classroom soon turned dead silent, waiting in crackling anticipation for what promised to be spectacular show. Looking over his shoulder and craning his neck towards where the commotion was occurring, Riku frowned slightly, unable to really see anything through the mass of people blocking the doorway.

But then, someone moved, creating the slightest gap between two bodies, just enough of a crack for him to glimpse what was on the other side of this tense human wall. It was only a fragment of the whole picture, and only for a split second. But the connotations attached was as clear as day.

He saw colours – two of them:

A flutter of auburn. And cold steel blue.

There was little doubt in Riku's mind as to who had just arrived.

_Kairi._

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**_A/N: _**Yeah, so just trying to set the scene before I break out some RikuSora fluff.

So, review?

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	2. Pt I, 2: The Beginning of Changes

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

_._

**.: PART I: Chapter 2 – The Beginning of Changes :.**

.

It was the most deafening silence any of them had ever heard.

Despite the excited hushes of anticipation from various parts of their small classroom, neither Riku nor Kairi heard a thing. Even the blatant outright staring and eavesdropping of the majority of spectators hardly registered on either of their minds.

All that existed was a set of blue eyes staring into green, and a set of green eyes staring into blue, and panic clouding both their minds.

To your average onlooker, Kairi's countenance was calm and collected; hard and cold as stone. As expected of the reigning princess of Radiant Garden Academy.

But Riku could barely breathe.

Years and years of friendship with the girl – being born into the same exclusive social circle, blossoming into a budding friendship where they shared deep secrets and intimate thoughts that they've never told anyone else but each other, and finally to their increased intimacy resulting in their going out in the final year – has taught him a thing or two about Kairi. About just how _much_ there was written across that cold porcelain skin. That is, if one knew how to read it.

The slightly clenched jaw, the subtle bite of the lip, and the fury in those ocean blue eyes.

Wakka may have stuttered a greeting, but it was doubtful anyone heard it.

"So," she said. Her voice was deceptively lofty, but it hit Riku like arctic wind. "I see that you're back."

_Yes, it seems that I am. _

What could he possibly say to that, especially after the obvious hurt and confusion he put the other girl through? _Sorry about disappearing on you like that? I don't have a good excuse and my only reason is a shitty one? I didn't call or email because I didn't feel like it?_

Sure, it was all he was willing to offer to most people. But Kairi was different. She had always been different; from as far back as he could remember, she was always the closest person to Riku. Ever.

But now, he didn't know.

"Well?" her voice a little too detached given the anger she obviously felt. How could he just stand there, looking at her? As if expecting _her_ to say something? That heartless _prick_.

And then the boy opened his mouth. "I don't know what to say, Kairi. But it's good to see you. I've really missed you, you know."

…that was it?

His tone had been pleasant and sweet and infinitely apologetic, but it was also the last. Had he lied, given an awkward apology or just ignored her, it would have been easier because she knew how to deal with that. Hell, Riku had always been a little selfish. But it had never bothered her to put up with it. She was his best friend, his confident and later girlfriend for most their lives.

And then for him to deny, no,_ pretend_ anything was wrong? That is just plain fucking _cruel._

Before she could stop herself, Kairi marched forward, halting in front of Riku almost toe to toe. Riku, silly selfish beautiful Riku, was seated at a desk, staring at her expectantly. Naively. It was as if something took control of her body and movements, but left her mind be. She was just another onlooker who saw her arm rise, palms open, and pausing high in midair, readying itself, before swinging harshly onto the pale cheeks of its unfortunate victim.

Except she was the victim. So it was justified, then?

It was more the shocked gasps of their classmates, rather than the harsh sound of flesh on flesh, which brought Kairi back to her senses.

Reality sank in of what she had done. Never had she felt so self-conscious in her entire life than right at that moment when she felt the piercing gazes of her peers burn into her back like lashes of fire. She could barely stand to look at even Tidus and Wakka, who were both old friends and seen much of her behind the composed facade, for the pure shame of exposing herself in this moment of weakness. Instead, her eyes were focused on Riku, the cause of all her present problems.

But he never looked up.

"Whoa…Kairi," a placating hand signal was lifted. "Let's keep the physical stuff out, okay?"

Tidus. Always the rational one.

_Well, fuck you, Tidus._

But she knew she was overreacting. A smaller part of Kairi's mind – the logical side – agreed with the blond. Her mother would simply die of embarrassment if she saw just how out of control her daughter was of her emotions and actions. And it would not be a far off assessment.

She had to get out of there. Plain and simple.

Barely sparing an acknowledging glance at Wakka and Tidus, Kairi left as abruptly as she came, pushing past the shocked bodies of their nosy spectators.

Marching down the corridor in a fast-paced stride, Kairi Spencer was a sight to behold. Like an panther stalking through the jungle, almost everyone whom she passed immediately moved to clear her path. Kairi was not one to be trifled with when she was angry or upset. When one unfortunate short brown-haired boy accidentally got in her way, she glared menacingly at him until he stammered an apology and slunked away.

However, beneath the righteously angry façade, Kairi was nearing her breaking point. She could feel tears pushing against her faltering eyelids, something she was brought up to see as shameful and weak.

_Just a little longer. Just hold out until the parking lot._

Reaching for her cell phone, Kairi speed dialled her chauffeur, who picked up immediately. It was times like these when Kairi wished she could drive. But from an early age, her mother had droned into her that learning to driving was for those who couldn't afford chauffeurs, something which they had plenty of.

It didn't make it any less awkward standing there, waiting for the stupid car. She just wanted to leave and get out of this small oppressing place. Anywhere would be okay at the moment. Just somewhere quiet and peaceful so she could calm down. And think.

It seemed as much to be a matter of pride, as anything else. The redhead had always prided herself to be the only one who broke the emotional walls of the untouchable Riku Samuel, and made him feel something for her. She was quite possibly the only person he ever felt anything remotely resembling love for. Even though Riku had once had numerous girlfriends and even more on the side, Kairi was always the common factor to which he returned to. Without a doubt.

That had made her special.

But to realise after all this time it may have all been constructed in her deluded mind – it really hurt her.

Because on top of all of that, she actually loved him.

.

.

It was like walking through a nightmare.

Everywhere he turned, someone was whispering something about him. And he could very well guess what that something was pertaining to.

It wasn't as if Riku wasn't used to the whispering. For many years of his life, he had trained his selective hearing to such a degree as to block out all the white noise of everyday life. After all, the comments were always the same. Either gushing compliments from admirers, or the beginnings of vicious rumours started by either the envious or those who rightfully hated him.

Exaggerated recounts of the official break up with his former girlfriend should be something Riku, of all people, would be very used to. But somehow, this time it felt different. Maybe because this time it wasn't some random girl who he'd screwed that he broke up with. Perhaps because this time, the reason was much more complex than just losing interest.

"Riku!" a voice called his name.

Riku mentally cringed as a flurry of short skirts and tight uniform shirts quickly made his way to him and braced himself for the hug and kiss that was sure to come.

"Riku! You're _back! _My gosh, we haven't seen you for _so long_," the first girl squealed.

"Yeah. But where have you been?" the other one added. "I was _so_ upset when I found out you dropped out of school. Why didn't you come visit? Everyone thought you died or something!"

He discreetly wiped his cheek of the offending red smear that was fit for a clown.

It was Anastasia and Drizella, daughters of two of his father's lesser business associates. Aka. The Twin Skanks. Sly and sultry, and made up of 60% plastic surgery and 40% makeup, just like the porn stars. Anastasia was the horse-faced one with the great body and a self-proclaimed queen of blowjobs, despite having threateningly long red nails. Drizella was better looking but not as adventurous as her best friend in the bed department.

"I didn't drop out of school," he corrected them. What the hell kind of rumours have been circulated in his absence?

"Transferred. Whatever. Oh well, it doesn't matter really, does it? But now that you're back," Anastasia wrapped herself around his arm, as it was the natural thing to do. "You know, you should come over sometime this Saturday. I'd love to _fill_ you in on _every_thing you've missed."

Wow. Can she be any less obvious?

"I'm sorry, Ana," Riku smiled rigidly. "I've actually already made plans for Saturday."

"Oh, that's just too bad," Drizella stepped in. "But I'm sure whatever it is you're doing that night, you could spare a little time for _me_? I promise it'll be fun," the blonde pouted.

"Sorry, but it's not really something I can get away from."

"Oh?" Anastasia faltered, a little suspicious. "What's happening on Saturday?"

"Just a little something I can't get out of," he replied cryptically.

"What about Friday night, then? There's this hot new club that's opened up. And Drizella and I have a spare ticket to its opening," the crimson-haired girl tried again, giving him a sly smile.

"As fun as that sounds, I'm afraid I've got plans for Friday night as well. Sorry ladies," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh, okay," a scowl appeared onto Anastasia's face. "Is this about Kairi?"

_Wait, what?_ He turned to the girl questioningly.

Anastasia shifted and placed her hands on her hips. "Didn't you guys, like, break up this morning?" she elaborated impatiently. "Or is the hand mark from something else?", gesturing to the slight redness that still marred Riku's cheek.

"Kairi and I have long broken up. I'm surprised the entire school only found out this," he responded dryly.

"Right." Drizella gave her redhead friend a scoffing look before turning back to the silver-haired teen, this time decisively a lot nastier looking. "Sure thing. Well, have a nice Saturday sitting at home alone with no friends, Riku."

Ignoring her catty comment, Riku looked her over.

She was originally a brunette, that much he was sure. Her dark eyebrows and her roots were proof of that. It just seemed unfathomable to him to for girls like that to try and hide their natural features behind hair dye and fake tan and makeup and cosmetic surgery when it was so glaringly obvious that they had done so. What was the point?

It made him feel nauseated that he once carelessly surrounded himself with people like that.

"I have to go," he deadpanned, turning away without so much as a goodbye. He wanted to get out of there.

"Prick," he heard her mutter.

"I completely agree," Anastasia echoed, fuming.

"Did he spend the last year and a half shoving an icicle up his arse? The last thing we need is another Leon – such a waste."

"No wonder Kairi dumped him. I _so_ would too."

Riku rolled his eyes. Unconsciously reaching for his cheek, his fingers lightly danced over the sore spot where Kairi had slapped him. Two bruises in one day.

Highschool. No, his entire life was so fake. Anything real was buried beneath layers upon layers of pretention. What was the point of having all this wealth and status when nothing real will ever come of it? He thought he had found a way out when he finally built up the courage to flee this social prison. But the bliss was short lived, as here he was, once again.

No, Riku shook his head. He knew he was privileged. Much more privileged and comfortable than the vast majority of people living on this Earth. And the fact that he complained about it made him feel guilty, and thus more shit.

Thanks, life, for dealing me this fantastic hand.

"Riku?" a small sweet voice broke his increasingly depressing thoughts.

The silver-haired young man was brought back to reality, right into the face of a wide pair of eyes so blue, they rivalled the sky on the most clear of days.

And Riku smiled.

His little ray of sunshine filtering through the gloom.

Hands reaching for that smooth soft cheek out of their own accord and finger tips lightly brushing over supple pink lips.

"Sora," he murmured back.

And the day seemed brighter again.

.

.

For Sora, concern never left those big blue eyes. "What's wrong Riku, you look upset?"

"Do I?" He almost forgot why. "Just…readjusting to city life."

Sora smiled, and twitched his nose. A little habit which Riku adored.

"I know what you mean. It's so different from back on the island!" His voice grew with his excitement. "I've never seen so many people in the one place before! And everything moves so fast and everyone has so many things to do! A girl walked right into me earlier because she was so busy. She was _really_ scary, but _really _pretty. And it seems everyone here is so trendy and cool looking. Not like back at home!"

"Sora," Riku said softly and leaned a little closer, "this is your home now." He smiled wider then, brushing away locks of that stubborn messy hair which had fallen into the other boy's eyes, inching slowly towards those petal lips, "But I'm glad you like it."

Right on cue, the shorter brunet's breath increased to short staccatos. His long eyelashes slowly descended closed, covering those striking blue pupils. He turned his face upwards in expectation.

The first hint of flames softly touched the tip of his nose, and then lightly traced a line down to his trembling lips. There, the sensation burned as the two boys finally met in a soft but mind numbing kiss, until that same warmth spread at such a ferocious pace that Sora felt like he was on fire.

Gathering control, Sora pushed the taller boy away, and turned his head, catching his breath. He obviously had a lot less practice as Riku was hardly fazed, and seemed to be either smirking at this little fact, or at the way Sora's cheeks now flushed a healthy red.

"Ri-_ku_," he whined. "You promised you wouldn't in public. And we're in school."

"I don't see anybody around to watch, but nice try."

In his distracted moment, Riku figured, he must have accidentally wandered into the Van Gogh Building of the Art School. It must have been pure luck for Sora to be coming out of his art class around the same time.

A bell rung signalling the start of the new period, and startling both boys, who were, to be fair, fairly…preoccupied.

"Well, well, well," the older boy teased. "It seems we both have a free period now before it's lunchtime… Whatever shall we do?" Riku knew it would have been a good idea to pull some strings have the same free periods as Sora.

"N-not whatever _you're_ thinking," the little brunet stuttered.

It always amused Riku to see his shy boyfriend try and deny his hormones. So naïve and so unwise.

"And what would I be thinking?" The whisper softly caressed a reddening earlobe.

"Something naughty, I bet."

He loved it when Sora said the word 'naughty'.

"You're such a pervert, Riku. And you shouldn't…" he lowered his voice briefly, "_molest me_…during school time."

Riku laughed at his choice of phrase. "It seems it is _your_ mind that's in the gutter, because _I_ was just thinking about giving you a tour around the school to get you familiarized with the place and not get lost."

"Coming from someone who was _born_ in the gutter, I bet you've planned all sorts of _surprises_ on this tour," Sora pouted cutely.

Riku's only reply was a smirking kiss to his little brunet's neck.

_Maybe just a few._

.

.

Sora drew a little closer to Riku, who shifted slightly to accommodate him, as they walked towards the cafeteria for lunch. They played it to seem like they were only walking close together, rather than any actual PDA, despite how innocent it could have been. Although Riku attempted to not worry him or involve him in complicated matters, Sora knew it had to do with Riku's new found sexuality and how he would appropriately explain this sudden change to his friends after seventeen years of being very very straight.

In actual honesty, Sora himself hadn't "come out" either. His road to discovering his sexuality had happened in such an…unconventional and whirlwind way that Sora didn't even realise the deep extent of his feelings for the boy beside him until much later. And _so_ much has happened between them already that Sora could hardly remember what it was like without Riku by his side.

His constant source of stability and support.

In fact, Sora thought about Riku all the time. What he was thinking when he spaces out? What he was doing when he wasn't with Sora? What he was like as a child: nice and shy, or a little terror? What his family was like? (Sora hadn't had a chance to meet them yet). And right now more than ever, what his friends were like.

Riku had told him they were his best friends for a reason. That they were the only people he knew were genuine and all had something to contribute to their unique friendship group. Sora tried to memorise everything he mentioned. Leon was the silent aloof one who read people like books. Yuffie was the loyal one with a stubborn fiery personality while Selphie was sunny and outgoing. Tidus was the warm and levelheaded peacemaker of the group and Wakka swore a lot. But Kairi. All Riku ever really said about Kairi was that she was his best and closest friend and has been since they were infants.

Sora drew a little closer once more. They were on their way to what Riku called 'the usual spot' – where he would finally meet the friends that meant so much to the silver-haired boy, to meet the people whom he had daydreamed about ever since Riku showed him a photo of them.

Gosh, Sora hoped they liked him.

.

.

It was pretty cute the way Sora was so nervous about meeting his friends.

Not that the brunet shouldn't not be worried.

Riku knew it wouldn't be easy, especially give the way Kairi had reacted. Or the way Yuffie and Leon will react. He hadn't even planned on sitting with them at lunch if it wasn't for Wakka and Tidus making him promise that he would.

And this was for their best friend of many many years, who albeit did something really horrible. He didn't even want to begin to think about how they would treat some unknown random boy the shitty best friend dragged along.

Serious matters aside, from the angle where Riku was looking down at the brunet, Sora looked…hot. His pretty eyes seemed to darken with the lighting and those cherry lips, which looked especially pouty and full from that view, were begging to be licked and sucked on…or do the sucking.

Fuck his friends, Riku just wanted to push his brunet up against the nearest wall and kiss him senseless until they both pass out from lack of oxygen.

And then he'd slide his hands up the brunet's shirt, nice and slow to feel every inch of that smooth soft expanse of skin that felt like silk under his fingertips. He would then reach for the nipples, rubbing them firmly until they stood erect and sensitive. He'd lean down close to the brunet's head so he could hear every sweet moan and purr against his ear as he teases those hard nubs.

And then he would suck on the boy's long supple neck, swiping his hot tongue over the artery, over and over again. And he would nibble and leave little love bite marks and bruises to show everyone what was his.

And as Sora mewls his pleasure, he would slide his hands down to grope that supple rump, discretely pulling the boy towards himself, crotch against crotch. Grinding. And then he would undo the boy's fly, and reach in to take a hold of the brunet's hard weeping co–

"Riku, you're staring," Sora shyly informed him, face fire engine red after guessing exactly what was on his boyfriend's mind from the downright lewd way he was looking at him.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, though not sorry at all. These types of daydream seemed to be happening more and more often recently. Sora might as well get used to it now.

Besides, he wouldn't be so horny if Sora had just let them fool around a bit before.

And then he smirked. Leaning down close to the other boy's ear. "Just wait til we get home," he breathed hotly. "I'll make you blush harder than you've ever blushed before."

Right on cue, Sora flushed. Darkly.

Chuckling at his handiwork, Riku guided Sora through a large set of glass doors into the large mess hall, only vaguely aware of the small group of admirers who were about to approach him, probably to welcome him back or something like that.

Thanks to the incredibly high tuition fees and the heavy donations sent to the school by its students' wealthy families, Radiant Garden Academy had a modern, very well designed and built cafeteria, which was maintained regularly by cleaning staff.

Black metallic chairs with high backrests were seated around long tables of polished expensive wood, decorated with a vase of flowers and a candle. This section of the cafeteria was enclosed by a long surrounding polished bar top complete with beige high stools. On the other side of the bar was an area made of dark plush couches and granite coffee tables. The navy blue carpet, the section of low ceilings, low hanging shaded lamps and dark red walls only added to the dark mysterious charm.

It was little wonder that the coffee table in the furthest corner of the couch section, the most secluded area of the entire cafeteria, was reserved as the 'popular table'.

Riku could see his entire group seated there already, lounging languidly in a semi circle of couches. He mentally steeled himself before making his way over through the sea of tables, dragging an overwhelmed Sora behind him.

As soon as they were within five meters of the table, everyone there stopped eating and looked up at him. Some of the occupants of nearby tables did the same. A long pregnant silence of awkward tension settled amongst them, making them all extremely uncomfortable, yet at the same time, no one wanted to be the person who broke that same silence.

And then, Leon's dark stormy eyes narrowed and turned a shade darker. Without a word, he collected his things, and walked off to the furthest table from there as possible, all the way on the other side of the large hall. With him, followed half the eyes of the cafeteria occupants that day.

A second later, Kairi followed suit. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes never wavered from a point straight in front of her as she strode past Riku. Sora immediately recognised her as that beautiful girl he almost ran into earlier that morning.

The brunet glanced up at the silent boy beside him, worried. He could practically taste how tense and stiff the silver-haired boy was. Sure Riku mentioned a couple of times that he had not parted on good terms with his friends, with leaving without a word and all, and that his return would not be well received at all by them.

But to see it in person. It was something else.

And then there were four.

From their description, Sora guessed they were Yuffie, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. It was the blond, Tidus, who said the first thing in five silent minutes.

"Hey," he smiled, addressing Riku. "So you decided to come after all. Come sit with us," he gestured to the currently unoccupied armchair.

Riku did as he was told gracefully, and Sora plopped down beside him.

"Riku!" Selphie beamed with full sunny force. "I still can't believe you're back. My god, we all thought you were dead or something horrible happened to you or something! I've missed you so much! I just wished you would have told us you returned, we could have thrown you a party." Her smile faltered a little then, "Kairi was especially upset about that," before coming back full force, "but it's still awesome you're here now." And with that, she let out a happy squeal and jumped up off her seat, launching herself into Riku's arms.

Riku doubted she could even breathe after saying so much in one breath. Nevertheless, he laughed and patted her hair, lightly returning her squeeze. "And glad to be back," he said earnestly as she retreated back to her couch. "And I've missed you too, little one. Hope you didn't get into too much trouble while I was away."

"No way, Riku! I'm a good girl! You're the one who usually gets into trouble!"

Before he could reply,…

"Do me a favour, will you. _Please_ don't expect to just waltz back into our lives as if nothing happened, as if everything's fine and dandy," Yuffie's tone dripped of poison.

Riku pressed his lips shut, unsure how to reply.

Yuffie's fierce loyalties to her friends and those who she thought deserved it were truly inspiring. Even if the odds were a thousand to one against her and she was the only one left standing for her cause, the amber-eyed half-Wutainese would rather die battling than go down without a fight. He was one of those people once.

"I'm not expect anything," he answered with a faint smile.

"Then you shouldn't have come today at all," she countered.

"Yuffie, I'm sorry. About what happened. I had my reasons, you know."

"And what were they?" her amber eyes pierced into his, straight through his soul.

He remained silent.

"That's right," she leaned back, crossing her arms in smug satisfaction. "Just selfish ones. And even then, if you had just told us, we would have done everything in our power to help you, you know? But instead you just abandoned us, like we meant nothing to you. For a year and a half, not a single fucking call, not a single fucking email. We were worried sick. We thought you were dead, or something. We thought you were kidnapped and held for a ransom that never came! We fucking spent _months _sending private detectives after private detectives after you. I don't think I handed in a piece of homework in that time, and I know Kairi pretty much didn't sleep. All just to find out that you planned it that way all along."

Riku looked away in shame, seeing the truth in every one of their eyes.

"_Fuck _you, Riku," she spat. "That's not what real fucking friends do. But then again, I wouldn't expect a selfish little weasel like yourself to understand that."

"Yuffie," a quiet but serious voice broke her tirade. "Shut up." A firm command.

Selphie rarely spoke out in anger like that to her friends. She was known only for her bright green eyes and a sunny personality, never for her temper. So on the rare occasion when she did, they listened.

Yuffie was silenced immediately, but defiantly looked away with her chin in the air.

The tense silence returned, and with a strengthened vengeance. For a few long drawn out moments, no one was willing to say anything or look at anyone, eyes darting hazardously around the room. But this time, it was Riku who decided to break the tension that he helped cause.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, "So how were everyone's holidays?" he asked in an opaque attempt to change the subject.

Selphie, as always, was first to answer. But before any sound could come out of her mouth, Wakka stole the limelight. "Who's the kid?" he asked pointedly.

All eyes turned to the little brunet hiding in the shadows, whose wide blue eyes completed the deer-in-headlights expression to a tee.

Sora was originally very excited to meet Riku's friends. From what he had told him in vague bits and pieces, Sora gathered the impression that they were sweet, kind, funny and overall lovely. Now he realised that in Riku's homesickness, he may have romanticised things a little.

They were not what he had expected.

Riku's friends were not as friendly as Sora imagined them to be. Even Selphie and Tidus, the sweetest sounding of them all, barely made an effort to talk to him, or even acknowledge him.

Besides, he just didn't fit in. One look at the group and Sora decided Riku had beautiful classy model-like friends suited for one as beautiful and classy as Riku was himself. He felt strangely out of place among them. On top of that, everyone there was the son or daughter of extremely wealthy families and empires, while Sora was still marvelling at how well the salad was made in the lunch Riku packed for the both of them this morning. Riku, the second of only two sons of an incredibly successful businessman and entrepreneur, had barely glanced at the container full of fresh vegetables and expensive seafood. He did, however, laugh at Sora's supposed 'naiveness' and 'cuteness'.

Especially now as Wakka spoke as if he wasn't there, Sora felt both disappointed and very intimidated. Discretely, he tried to merge himself into Riku's side.

"Me?" he squeaked.

"No, the fucking table." He was so forcefully sardonic. "Yes, you."

"I'm…my name is Sora."

"How do you know Riku?" That was Selphie.

"I…he's my friend."

"Really," Wakka waved it off. "I've never seen ya 'round before, brudda."

"Well, I'm new this year…"

Riku had sensed that Sora's timidness was causing him to be very uncomfortable before, but wanted to give him a chance to get along with his friends. Now it seemed Riku may have threw him into the deep end a little early, as Sora seemed completely overwhelmed by this merciless interrogation.

"Guys," he warned, but it fell upon deaf ears.

"Wait wait," a light suddenly lit in Wakka's eyes. "Did ya meet Riku in the last year or somethin'?"

"…yeah."

That caught everyone's interest.

"Wait," Yuffie held up her hand as a signal for everyone to shut up. "Were you _with_ Riku in the last year?"

Everyone held their breath. Not even Tidus bothered to hide his curiosity.

"I…" Sora didn't know how to answer. He didn't know how Riku planned to explain everything that happened on the island, but he_ did_ know it wasn't his story to tell. And he didn't want to upset Riku, who had been so good to him.

"Well?"

Sora didn't like stares.

"Fucking say somethin', man."

It didn't matter if they were malevolent or appreciative, curious or even indifferent. He didn't like the feeling of eyes boring into his soul, stealing his consciousness. He didn't like the burning feeling it gave him, or that horrible light headedness he'd get afterwards which left him feeling weak and drained.

"Wakka, leave him alone," Riku's voice was louder this time, as he snaked a protective arm around Sora and pulled the smaller boy towards him.

Most of all, he didn't like the similarities he'd draw with every stare to the stares of those –

No. Don't think about that. It's over now.

"Why? Is he hiding something?" Selphie's question was actually quiet innocent, but the wording she used justified the angry minds.

"Yeah, why won't you let the kid speak, Riku?" Wakka pressed, ignoring Tidus' warning squeeze on his arm.

Where the boisterous redhead left off, Yuffie took over the reigns. "Tell us, Riku. Why was he with you when we, who've been your close friends for _years_, weren't even told about where you were going?" her question was strikingly similar to the one on everyone's mind. "You come back out of the blue with some random boy, and we can't even ask any _questions_?"

As much as he'd hate to admit it, Riku couldn't fault Yuffie this time. Anyone in her position would have felt the same way. He fell silent.

"Is that it?"

He needed to protect both his own, and Sora's secrets.

"Answer the fucking question."

They just weren't ready to reveal anything yet.

"Riku? Are you listening?"

They just needed a little more time.

"Oi! Who's the kid?"

"He's my fucking boyfriend, alright?" Riku finally exploded. "Are you going to leave him alone, now?"

The most profound silence reigned in response.

Distantly, someone coughed quietly and another dropped something on the floor.

The roof could have collapsed at that exact moment and none of them wouldn't have cared.

_Fuck,_ he berated himself. That was no where _near_ the speech he had in mind.

.


	3. Pt I, 3: Those Who Lost n Those Who Won

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

.

**.: PART I: Chapter 3 – Those Who Lost and Those Who Won :.**

.

Kairi never knew how much things can change in the space of one day.

Sure she has seen on TV those news reports of natural disasters which destroyed buildings and towns and killed thousands in a matter of minutes. It had even occurred to her just how much these calamities can affect the life of anyone caught in the middle of it. Everything you've ever known, destroyed – home, school, work, local hangouts; your family and friends injured, missing, or even dead.

So her situation was nowhere near as severe as those, but it still shook the solid foundations of her privileged safe little haven.

She tried her hardest to ignore Riku and continue eating in relative silence with Leon. Riku can't make her world stop spinning whenever he pleases.

No he can't.

He shouldn't.

Then why was this so hard?

She gave Leon a look, which he understood immediately. That's what she liked about Leon. He understood things without words.

Which was perfect right now as she found it too…shameful to physically speak about how much Riku alone could affect her.

Kairi packed her things daintily. She hardly had a bite of her salad, but wasn't hungry in the least. Rising loftily to her feet, the redhead decided that for the first time, she would get to class early. Extremely early.

However, everything in life is a double edged sword.

Sure she saved herself some heartache now, but had Kairi just stayed a little longer for events to unfold, she would have saved herself an even bigger heartache later on.

.

.

Wakka looked like a fish.

His mouth opened and closed, half about to say something, and then changing his mind.

"You're…ga-…" he trailed off, not even completing the sentence or saying any of the usual expletives.

Then he shook his head, making his crazy quiff sway.

"Wait, wait, wait. So this boy is your boyfriend. Not as in a friend who's a boy, but as in _boyfriend_ boyfriend?"

Turqoise eyes scanned the shocked faces. What other reaction had he expected anyway?

"Yeah," he supplied simply.

"Your boyfriend?" the redhead repeated.

"Yeah."

"_Your_ boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Your _boyfriend_?"

"Yes, Wakka," Riku answered exasperatedly. "My boyfriend. How many times would you like me to repeat that for it to get through into your thick little skull?"

"So you're telling me…" Wakka tongued the word incredulously, unable to process it all "…that you ran off for almost two years…to be a _fairy_?...but…what about the GIRLS, man!" Wakka looked almost insulted.

"I'm _not_ gay!" the silver-haired retorted. "…well not exactly. I'm more like bi, I guess."

He shifted uncomfortably in the silence, feeling Sora trying to remain as still and as buried behind him as possible.

"As in, I guess I still find girls attractive," he furthered, attempting to fill in the tension.

Thankfully, Selphie had finally found her voice. "Sorry…this is just, like, _whoa_! I mean, who here expected _that_?"

Not a single one even bothered to hide the uncomfortableness in their chuckling.

The bubbly brunette, as usual, was the most optimistic of them all. "I _guess_ I can deal with this change. I mean, it can't be anymore full on than seeing you molest girls in public. It's just a guy now. What's the difference?"

"What's the difference?" Wakka's insertion immediately smothered Riku's short lived relief at Selphie's roundabout approval. "It's plain fucking…_weird_, that's what."

He knew it wasn't going to be easy anyway.

Yuffie followed with a soft snort. "I don't believe this," she gave a dry chuckle. "And here I was hoping you could give me a good excuse and explain everything. I sure didn't expect it to be coming out of the closet with some country bumpkin queer."

Sora made a soft whimper.

Now Riku was pissed. It would have been alright if Yuffie had just picked on him. After all, he deserved it. But _Sora_ had absolutely _nothing_ to be blamed for.

"Do _not_ call him that."

"…Yuff," Selphie quietly added, "that was really mean."

Turning around sharply, the amber eyed teenager shifted her anger to the shorter girl. "Whose side are you on, exactly, _Selph_? Some spoilt self-centered fuckstick's who abandons his friends at a drop of a hat? Or me, your best friend? Have you already forgotten what he did to us?"

"No," was the mumble. "But that's not the point," she argued weakly.

"It's the _entire_ point."

Steering the Yuffie's attention back onto himself, Riku pushed Selphie out of the firing line. "I understand that I'm not going to be in your good graces anytime soon, Yuffie, and I accept that. But I think you're getting a little too emotional with this and going a little too far." He paused. "Stop being such a bitch."

Those five simple words became triggers to an explosive.

"Don't call me a fucking bitch, you bastard!" she almost screamed back, getting up from the couch so abruptly she knocked the coffee table forward a few inches. "At least _I_ understand loyalty to my friends and my family. I would _never_ abandon them like you did. Did you ever _once_ think about what your family felt? What _we_, your best friends since forever, felt when you just…left for a weekend and _never returned_?"

He had no answer.

But the raven-haired girl was more than happy to answer for him.

"Like fucking shit, Riku. That's how we felt. Like little insignificant pieces of used _shit_!"

"That's enough, Yuffie. Sit down before the whole school can write a thesis on our problems," Tidus interrupted, placing a hand on her forearm and gently attempted to pull her down.

But Yuffie could not be calmed. "Fuck off, Tidus," she shook him off. "I'm going to go sit with Kairi and Leon and anyone else who _doesn't_ suffer from amnesia!"

"Yuffie," Selphie called after her in futile, and was answered with a dark silence.

No one said anything for the longest while as they sat in their own pensive silence.

It didn't get any better when Wakka spoke up.

Letting out a long whistle, the redhead spoke distractedly. "Look see, I can deal with the whole…run away teenage angst shit you got going on for now. But _man_, this queer thing kinda freaks me out." He shook his head fervently. "Sorry, dude," tapping his temple. "I need some time for this to…ya know…sink in."

With a pained grin, which looked so wrong on his usually jovial face, the redhead quickly made his exit.

And then there were four.

A tired groan escaped him as Riku slumped down, depleted of energy, and closed his eyes. As if that would block out anything. He felt Sora's warm little hands seeking his, wrapping them around his, soothing away the coldness.

God, Sora was the sweetest, most caring person alive with a heart of gold. Why couldn't anyone see that? Were they blind? And he's been through so much already, to have to put up with this bullshit after Riku promised they would finally be happy.

On top of that, he, himself, was just so…tired.

Running away from his problems, though it had its perks, was far harder than he had ever imagined. Like the little annoying voice at the back of his head had constantly reminded him for the past year and a half, he just wasn't ready to be on his own. He was far too young and inexperienced.

And til then, far too protected.

But now he's gone and destroyed in one fell swoop the better aspects of his life, leaving it in shattered chaotic pieces. Too bad it was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Riku?"

Once again, it was Selphie who spoke first. Cynically, Riku noted that was probably the longest silence he's ever heard out of the brunette when she was still conscious.

He let out a mental sigh and slowly opened his eyes, the green-eyed girl's face becoming more focused as silver lashes parted from his vision.

"Yeah?" As if he really needed to ask.

Selphie hesitated. Another miracle.

"You'll always be my friend you know. I don't care if you like girls, or boys, or even if you get off on…watching children cartoons. Like really stupid, completely non-sexual or suggestive cartoons. Like Spongebob or something."

Riku stared at her for a moment, then chuckled heartily. He felt his tightly wound tension being expelled with each laugh.

At times, he thought Selphie could be _so_ childish and ridiculous, that he'd question why they got along, other than being in the same family circles, as their interests differed so greatly.

But then she'd do something like this, and he'd remember why he was drawn to her all over again.

"Thank you, Selphie."

Selphie beamed. "'S okay, pal. I'm sure you would have done the same for me." Turning to Sora, her smile softened. "It's nice to meet you, Sora, I'm Selphie."

For the first time in thirty minutes, Sora cautiously let his guard down.

"Nice to meet you too, Selphie," he replied timidly.

And Tidus?

He just offered a small grin.

But sometimes, that's all one needs.

.

.

A couple of sparrows flew by, circling each other playfully as they went.

Sunlight danced off their wings, giving just the right sequence and amount of glints of sun that they seemed to be surrounded by magic.

If it wasn't for the window muffling it all, Kairi bet their squeaks would have been lyrical.

But there she was, sitting in History with her chin in her hand, elbow propped up on her desk, gazing out the window. There was no point in paying attention. The class was boring, and her teacher, a pervert. She always got B pluses or higher on her homework anyway, and could easily cram and catch up when mid years arrived.

Besides, she couldn't concentrate.

After her earlier escape this morning, Kairi thought herself to be composed and ready to face her demons. That's why she returned for lunch.

But as soon as she saw his face, the teenager knew she had overestimated herself.

And now, in this boring class, the crimson-haired beauty began to wonder why she bothered returning at all.

"Kairi?"

Her ocean blue eyes flitted to her History teacher. Mr Yen Sid was staring at her, a little leery, waiting for her reply. Along with his were all the eyes of the class.

Apparently her name had been called several times to no effect. Wow. She really _was_ distracted.

"Well, Kairi?" The slimy man repeated. His sultry tone sent disgusted shivers down her spine.

Kairi slowly lifted her head from their comfortable position, removed her arms from the table and sat up straight. She crossed her long legs as a precaution.

"Well what?" her tone was cocky. After all, she was beautiful, popular, affluent and came from a powerful family. She didn't need to be polite to paedophiles.

"The question, my dear. Why was Lenin able to gain so much support for the Bolsheviks?" he repeated, voice dripping in a false sweetness laced with deviant intentions. "My, my, someone's distracted. What ever could be the matter?"

Well that started up a silent class. By now, Kairi doubted the existence of a person who _hadn't_ heard about Riku.

She gracefully crossed her arms and glared.

But the educator just smiled. "Pouting is unbecoming of a fine lady such as yourself."

It was when his eyes seemed to drift lower that she realised she had unwittingly pushed out her breasts. Quickly removing her arms, she adopted a more conservative posture.

Mr Sid just kept grinning in that leering way.

Doesn't anyone else see this? Or do they just enjoy seeing her suffer?

"Alright then, seeing as Kairi doesn't know the answer. Does anyone else wish to attempt the question? Perhaps you, Belle?"

Thank god it was her last class for the day.

Kairi had never been more relieved when that dreaded bell finally rang. She had her things packed up and had messaged her driver to be ready long before; she only had to shoot out of her seat and head towards the door. Her plan was to make the quickest journey from the classroom to the parking lot as possible.

All seemed well when she spotted Mr. Cricket opening the door to the limousine, waiting for her. Home was but a fifteen minute drive away.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by a distant shout of "Kairi!"

Out of her peripheral vision, Kairi could see Yuffie jogging towards her, her long legs attracting stares.

Oh, what now?

As much as she loved her half-Wutainese friend, Kairi really felt she couldn't deal with anyone right now. Pretending to not hear the much clearer but puffed shout of "Wait up!", Kairi hurriedly climbed into the limo. As soon as Mr. Cricket got into his seat behind the wheel, Kairi turned to him.

"Drive. Hurry."

No questions asked, they were off.

The roads flew past and mixed into a wild blur in her short-term memories. The soft music flowing from the speakers flew right over her head. She almost didn't even register her phone blaring and vibrating fervently, signalling an incoming call. A quick glance at the screen told her it was Yuffie. She let it ring for a while until the black-haired girl conceded defeat and hung up, but not before two beeps alerted redhead to a received message.

But she wasn't sure she wanted to read it yet.

It was only until Kairi had entered her lavishly furnished bedroom twenty minutes or so later, that she decided to check her phone. And immediately wished she hadn't.

Yeah, it was from Yuffie.

_Hey, are you okay? Why'd u run off on me like that? Anyway, really didn't want to tell you this through sms, but you didn't pick up. Just thought u should know before hearing it from smone else. It's Riku. He's picked up himself a BOYFRIEND. Yeah, i know. Some pathetic little thing called Sora. Attached photo. Call if u wanna talk, i'll wait. See you tomorrow, k? Remember we love u. xx_

It was just a mixture of letter and spaces and punctuation in a specific order. It shouldn't mean anything.

But to Kairi, it did. So much so.

Blankly, her dark blue eyes finished scanning that badly spelled and grammar-ed text. Kairi thought she couldn't get any more numb as she opened the attached file.

It was a blurry ill-aimed phone photo, but at the same time so very very clear. A little brunet bundle nestled into Riku. Blue eyes, pink lips, cute looking.

Blue eyes.

Were they bluer than hers? Did they have many shades of blue which swirl into each other in perfect harmony? Did they remind Riku of beautiful things, like the ocean or the sky?

Pink lips.

Were they pretty and bow-shaped? Were they smooth to touch and soft to kiss? Are they also sexy and pouty when he wants them to be?

The phone slipped through her loosened fingers.

Cute looking.

Was this what Riku liked? Was this was Riku preferred?

…Was Sora better than she was?

A mysterious coolness appeared on her cheek. Curiously, she swiped at it and looked down at her fingers.

Wetness. Huh.

It's so pathetic that she's crying…over him, yet again. She promised herself that Riku wasn't worth her tears. And yet he was. And it was this confusion and emotional conflict, which made her even more pathetic.

Something was bubbling in her chest.

What this emotion was, she didn't know. But it was so _forceful._ Tearing and clawing inside her, burning and burning, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. She felt like there was a storm of chaos and emotion inside of her, wanting out, _out,_ _OUT_!

An enraged cry pierced the air. Shortly followed by the thunderous crack of shattering glass.

And then silence.

And ragged breathing.

The maids didn't know what was happening. The nearest one rushed up to Kairi's room as fast as she could, thinking the worst.

When she got there, she saw the ground littered with shattered glass, all pooling at the foot of the massive mahogany vanity. And the priceless antique jewellery box the young mistress received for her birthday from her grandparents in pieces mixed into the shard pile.

The redhead herself was slumped in a chair, looking like she hadn't slept in days. Her haunted blue eyes now seemed black, and it was staring right at her, intensely and unblinkingly, but without seeing.

The maid unwittingly shrunk back a little and looked away, unable to hold such a haunting stare. It wasn't until the arrival of the other employees, also hurrying over to see what the commotion was, that she joined them in cleaning up the mess.

Kairi could hardly register the movement of the maids within her room. She couldn't really concentrate on anything, except the irregular pattern of her heartbeat and the tangled thoughts in her head.

The mirror – another seven years of bad luck to the horrible last two years she's already had.

The last time something like this had happened was almost a year and a half ago. When Riku went away for the weekend and never returned. His long weekend away – the longest of her life.

And even then, she thought, perhaps it was partly her fault.

.

.

Riku's house was so beautiful.

No, Riku's _manor_ was so beautiful.

Sora doubted he'd ever come to a point in time when he'd fail to notice this.

It even had its own name. Hollow Bastion was what it was called.

Not to sound girly, but he felt like Cinderella walking into Prince Charming's palace for the first time…every time. Except as a boy, of course.

Even the driveway from the iron gates up to the steps of the front door was a bit of a trek, and partly why Riku always insist on taking the car when he goes out. And once again not to sound girly, but Sora tended to enjoy strolling past the beautiful and well maintained garden, stopping every now and then to admire the flowers and sit by the fountain.

Just walking into the front door, Sora felt like he walked into a grand ballroom. The entry hallway was massive, encompassing long mirrors and wall size windows, and an impressive staircase of dark red carpeting leading to the upper levels to greet all guests arriving through the door. To complete the grandeur, the high ceiling stretched up to the top of all three floors, creating beautiful balconies of the higher floors, and was iced with a large crystal chandelier.

It was obvious the Samuels preferred the influence of the past aristocracy.

But Riku, being the rebellious child he was who liked to choose his own destiny, had added a little touch of himself to his originally equally aristocratic bedroom on the top floor of his wing – the West Wing.

Most of the furniture in the room were very retro and futuristic, clashing with the antique feeling of the elegant forest green walls and lucratively carved cream ceiling. A large titanium, onyx and glass desk set lined one side of the room. An even bigger four poster bed with sinful black satin sheets dominated the middle of the room. Other retro things like red and white bean bags, the fluffy white rug and the kitschy lamp were scattered around the room.

And of course, a little of bit Riku here and there. Like many teenage boys, the posters of favourite movies and bands and friends and other random but interesting things plastered in a vague line across the walls. A guitar could be spotted in a corner, under a small basketball hoop. The large home entertainment system with cds, dvds, and playstation and xbox games stacked neatly around it.

But the difference between other teenage boys and Riku, was the undertone of organisation and suppression entrenched in the vibe of the room. The feeling of conformity.

But before Sora could examine his jumbled assessments, he realised that Riku was looking at him expectantly.

For no real reason, Sora flushed. Those overactive cheeks of his were really starting to become irritating, not to mention embarrassing.

On the plus side, the sight brought a smile to Riku's turquoise eyes.

"What are you blushing for," the silver-haired asked gently, but the blatant amusement may have added a touch of smirking.

"Nothing," Sora flushed harder. "No reason." He pressed his cooler hands to his cheeks, hoping to force the heat away. "I don't know why I blush so much," the brunet confessed in a mumble.

"It's not a bad thing," the older boy reassured him. "Besides, I like it when you blush," he teased, hinting at something not so innocent.

Sora let out an exaggerated half sigh half moan, "You're not helping, Rikuuu!" hiding his reddening cheeks.

"Sora, I just told you I _liked_ it when you blush," the silver-haired started to advance slowly, a smirk adorned his handsome face. "Which means I would try and make you blush as much as possible." Sora let out a squeak. "So why would I help you try and get rid of it?"

Sora was silent for a moment. "Because it's embarrassinggg! I feel like a little boy when I blush."

"Technically we're both still boys. Besides, I still blush."

"What?" Sora was shocked. "No you don't."

Riku let out a chuckle and leant closer to the other boy's ear. "Maybe not on my face."

Sora paused. Then, "Riku, you're such a pervert."

The silver-haired hummed a small kiss before turning. "I'll just inform the maids to set up afternoon tea in the garden," and promptly left the room, sparing a little glance back.

It left Sora time to explore the area.

Ever since he first arrived, Sora spent a little time everyday exploring the little things which made up Riku's presence in this massive and impersonal castle. It was strange for him to see his boyfriend in his home environment, when Sora was only used to seeing the older boy in his own. Thinking back, Riku had never outwardly shown any uneasiness, even when he didn't know a thing about the environment that Sora was so comfortable and familiar in. And now that the tables have turned and Sora has been placed into Riku's world, he realised what a feat it must have been for Riku to keep a collected façade while struggling to comprehend what was common local knowledge to everyone else.

In retrospect, there were so many things Sora didn't know about Riku, but was too shy to ask.

Which is why these few minutes of 'Riku-exploring' were so important to him.

He absentmindedly strolled over to the shelves, socks scuffing against the carpet, glancing over the photographs. There were many school photos of Riku, like a pictorial timeline of his life. From young child to primary schooler to high schooler. A few crazy frames of groups of friends, where he could now recognise a few faces, including the ones of him and Kairi, and several shots of what could only be taken at award ceremonies and sport events.

Riku seemed like a very well rounded person. Not that Sora didn't know that before.

Despite the multitude of other photos, his cerulean eyes were constantly drawn back to the family portrait, almost hidden behind everything else.

It was a small picture, encased in a thin, simple but elegant wooden frame. In it were four figures placed in that professional photography background of navy blue. A tall imposing man with long white hair and piercing golden eyes stood next too an equally tall woman of black hair. He had a large strong hand on the shoulder of a sixteen year old teenage boy with long silver hair and piercing green eyes, while the other hand was on the other boy of similar features, but at a younger age of about six.

Those expressions could hardly be called smiles. But they weren't scowls either. Just looks of…strength and success.

It might as well have been a business photograph. The familial closeness and undertones of affection seemed to have been stripped from the scene. They looked like mannequins, granted beautiful mannequins, who have been placed into the 'family position' by the photographer.

_How strange_, Sora thought.

But maybe it wasn't. Maybe this was the typical family. He wouldn't know. After all, he's been an orphan pretty much his whole life.

The sound of soft soles on carpet recaptured the brunet's attention.

"Which one is you?" he asked, pointing to the photograph, unaware of just how innocent his tone was and how much it contributed to the cringe Riku felt and promptly covered. "There are two boys in this photo and I can't tell which one you are."

"I'm the younger one," the green eyed boy answered shortly. "My brother, Sephiroth, is about ten years older than me."

"Really?" Sora smiled. "I didn't know you had a brother. Tell me about him."

"There's nothing to tell." A hesitation. "He's just…very good at what he does."

Sora visibly deflated. "Oh, okay." Perhaps Riku is in a bad mood all of a sudden. He'll ask later. "Well, where are your parents, if you don't mind me asking. I haven't seen them around at all and I've been living here with you for about two weeks already."

Another pause. "They're travelling overseas for business at the moment."

Blue eyes widened. "And they left you all alone?"

Riku shrugged.

"And you're okay with that?" The idea of any child with actual parents and wanting to spend time away from them boggled Sora. Didn't they know what a privilege it was to have people who unconditionally loved you? "When are they coming back?"

For some reason, Riku's beautiful green eyes narrowed as he glared out the window. The mumble was almost inaudibly when uttered through clenched teeth. "Hopefully never."

"What?" Did Sora hear him wrong? He _knew_ that that time when sand accidentally got in his ear had caused some damage, even though matron was adamant it hadn't.

"Nothing," Riku waved him off. And like a magic act, that beautiful gentle smile reserved only for him replaced the subtle scowl. "Don't worry about it."

And Sora didn't; he felt instantly better. Such were some of Riku's unique powers – to instantly drive away his fears and worries. "So what did you want to do after afternoon tea?"

"Well usually I'd probably go over to…" then he let out a soft dry laugh and shook his head. "No. I was going to say head over to Kairi's house, but we're not exactly friends anymore, are we?"

Sora didn't know what to say.

"Well, we could go to Hinterlands for an early dinner – one of our more legal usual hangouts. It's an exclusive restaurant downtown that has consistently received three Michelin stars. We'd usually go there maybe twice a week…oh wait," the older boy muttered, half berating himself, "I keep forgetting the not friends part."

Finally Riku let out a defeated sigh and looked at the brown-haired boy. "You know what, why don't we just have a spa and relax for a bit. Nice and simple. And it'll just be the two of us."

The guilt was settling in. Sora was unsure of what to say. It was because of him that Riku had to avoid all his old places and habits.

"Uh…okay."

It was because of _him_ that Riku had the defeated tone just then. Riku and defeated should never appear in the same sentence, especially when he was the cause…

"Riku?" a small voice sounded as a soft hand grabbed at his forearm as he turned away.

"You don't want to go in the spa?" a silver eyebrow lifted. "I promise it'll be very nice and relaxing. We have one of the latest models of Jacuzzis available on the market."

"It's not that," the brunet cutely shook his head. "It's just…" sigh "Riku," soulful blue eyes peered up at him and he was disturbed by how distressed they were. "Riku," he repeated, "if you really want, I don't have to be here. I mean, I was doing…alright, I guess, before you let me come live here and–"

"No."

Sora's eyes widened at the response, as if he truly wasn't expecting it. "But…I'm causing all these problems with your friends and what will you parents say when they–" he sputtered.

"No."

"Ri_ku_!" the last syllable rising with the younger boy's fluctuating emotions. "Be serious here. After everything you've done for me, I don't want to be the one that ultimately ruins your _life_!"

But Riku just let out a light chuckle. Placing his hands around the brunet's arms, he bent down and looked Sora straight in the eye.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Sora," the taller boy reassured him softly. "I'm being entirely serious. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't call pursuing that 'ruining my life'." Leaning a little bit closer till he could place a kiss on those rosy cheeks, causing blue eyes to flutter closed momentarily "You're going to have a hell of a time trying to get away from me, so once again and for the final time, No."

Sora was numb from the cheek down. He could feel himself flushing; his boyfriend's steps became softer and softer as he strode away to call someone to prepare the Jacuzzi.

'The best thing to happen to his life'.

Those words soared in the dimensions of his mind and tugged the brightest of beams onto his face. It was so _lovely_ to feel some form of unconditional love after so long without it.

Annoyingly, however, the biting voice of his underdeveloped self-esteem remarked that it may be questionable what Riku feels for him could be called 'unconditional'.

But Sora could still hope…and wish…and dream that it was.

.


	4. Pt I, 4: Decision: I

_**A/N:**_ I just want to say a few things based on the reviews (thanks guys) you left me. Firstly, I know Sora doesn't exactly have a backbone at the moment, but he will eventually. Yes, it's partly due to the fact that he's been placed in an entirely new environment and he's already shy. But there's other major things contributing to his timid nature, which won't be revealed till much later.

Which leads to my other point. Just so you all know, the full scope of what actually happened to Riku (and Sora) will only be revealed at the second part, but there will be snippets and hints here and there. The entire story will divide into three parts. Part one is right now, where the story will focus on the drama of the fucked up life that Riku leads and him trying to make peace with everyone. Part two will be about the mysterious year and a half. And part three I can't say, coz even that would be a spoiler.

And writing this chapter made me realise what a long, drawn out story this is gonna be – I had to expand the plot meant for one chapter to three chapters…I guess those who decide to stick with me will be in for the long haul.

.

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

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**.: PART I: Chapter 4 – Decision (I) :.**

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Eyes.

Brown eyes. Blue eyes. Green eyes. Hazel eyes. Grey eyes.

So many eyes pointed this way.

_God._

Was this what being a circus side-show freak was like?

Being stared at shamelessly all the time, knowing the _exact_ reasons behind those gazes?

And on top of that, knowing _without a doubt _that the reasons were snide and mocking and far from being complimentary?

Kairi might as well go and join the circus given the attention she's been receiving since she arrived on school grounds just then.

But worst of all, it was like they all knew. It was like every glance and stare had x-ray vision, which delved deep into her mind and instantly worked out what she was still struggling to come to terms with.

Her defeat.

Kairi didn't know why she even bothered coming to school today. Judging by her watch, she had unwittingly skipped half the day being already three periods late, and would only be around for two more. Especially given the deadly hangover she has, having spent all night out, drinking and bar-hopping til dawn, finding comfort in bodies that she knew wasn't Riku's.

But it all came down to that, didn't it.

Staring at the distorted reflection of her face in her cocktail glass through a haze of tears (or was it just tiredness) the redhead beauty mentally replayed all the events which included or were related to Riku in _any_ way over the course of her life. And by the end of it, she had decided that, perhaps she and Riku were just not meant to be.

After all, she had known him for most of both their lives, and still yet had not won over his heart. At least not really. And yet for this boy, this Sora, who only met him a mere year ago, Riku is already willing to sacrifice everything that was so important to him…his image, status and reputation…just for _him_.

How does one compete with that? Isn't that a signal enough?

But then again, so what?

Life moves on, right? Big deal, so she lost the love of her life…to a boy.

…_God_, that was even humiliating just to _think_, let alone say out loud.

What will her mother think? What will the families think? Especially after what she had done.

Denial wasn't a plausible escape, which truly was too bad because she just didn't want to accept it.

.

.

Based on prior experience, Riku knew that it was the _second_ day, not that first, which was the worst when in the face of a scandal.

Typically, people are still reeling from shock and struggling to come to terms with what had happened on the first day. But by the second, the rumours and facts have already been closely examined, discussed and debated, and majority opinions formed. People are just that much more judgemental and vicious by the second day.

This was the type of day facing Sora and himself. How fun.

The student car park extended to several levels of underground parking, its size as expected of one of the top wealthiest private schools in the country. He could have gotten his driver to drop the two of them off if he wanted to. That certainly would have saved him time on parking. But what was the fun of having so many rare top-of-the-line cars that most people could only dream of touching, let alone owning, when one didn't even drive them? Besides, limousines have long lost their novelty and he didn't like the idea of putting his life into the driving ability of someone he didn't really know.

Riku directed his sleek black Jaguar XJ sedan around the bay of expensive cars made for the children of the rich and powerful, heading directly for the spots placed closest to the building's entrance – the only ones on the surface level which were protected under a shelter should it rain. Amongst that row was a bay well established to be his unofficial parking bay – one of many perks of being 'popular'.

Emerald eyes took a discreet glance left at Sora, who was looking solemnly out the window, deep in thought. Even in that brief glimpse, Riku could safely deduce that the other boy was tense and nervous – looking so small and unsure sitting in the black leather seat. Like so many times in this past week, Riku just wanted to reach over and gently hold his lover's hand or give him a tight comforting hug and whisper in his ear not to worry. And just for fun, he'd do it without warning, if only to catch that cute surprised look on the brunet's face every he did something like that when Sora wasn't expecting it and his bright azure eyes widened in response.

Thinking about it brought a small smile to Riku's face. Maybe after the car was parked, he'd get his intended reaction from his little boyfriend.

However, it was just too bad that the day had other plans aside from working out smoothly for him.

Just seconds after Riku began to turn into the bay, a flash of metallic blue zoomed past the front of his Jaguar, narrowly missing it, and stopped neatly and perfectly within the confines of the white lines with a sharp authoritative screech of tires.

The sudden motion of his own car's abrupt halt caused both he and Sora to jut forward sharply into cutting constrains of their seatbelts. Thankfully the silver-haired, being a practised driver, had fast enough reflexes to brake the car just in time from colliding with the offending vehicle. But only barely.

"What's –" he vaguely heard Sora mutter in surprise once he recovered from shock, before big blue eyes turned to face him. "Riku?"

No answer.

The entire of Riku's attention was focused intently on the scene just beyond their windscreen. His normally elegant hands gripped the steering wheel with crushing force and his jaw was drawn so tightly it reminded Sora of a wound spring, ready to explode with release at any moment.

The back of a silver Aston Martin One-77 faced them from its lazy comfortable position in the spot where his own luxury car was usually spotted. The sunlight on the strong metallic paint coating cast glares into his eyes, almost menacingly.

It seemed Leon has made it a habit of parking in his usual spot in the time he's been gone.

A sleek navy door opened gracefully and a tall figure stepped out with ease. An air of mocking indifference stung the atmosphere as the boy took his time retrieving his shoulder bag and gym duffel, closing the door nonchalantly and locking the car with a set of beeps and flashes of yellow light.

And then he turned around.

Dark stormy blue eyes hidden under a cover of messy chocolate brown tresses stared straight into a pair of jade irises. That prominent infamous scar, which runs diagonally down across his brow to the bridge of his nose, doused him in an air of deadly mystery. Marked with arrogance and challenge, the boy gave a slight jut of his chin upwards. His eyes never wavered.

Riku needed no incentive to return the call.

Tinted windows rolled down to reveal the irritated countenance of the original reining prince of Radiant Garden Academy, his famous silver hair framed his face in such a way that seemed caused his green eyes to intensify with suppressed anger.

"Care to explain that, Leon?" Riku's tone held a hint of a more volatile emotion lurking beneath its calm façade.

The brunet in question didn't even bother to attempt feigned surprise.

"Explain what?" he replied flatly. His blatant sarcasm nipped at Riku's patience.

"You cutting in front of me when I was clearly intending to park," he bit out. "It's fucking rude. We could have collided."

"Oh? I must not have seen you." Since when was Leon so vindictive? Or so in the mood to play mind games?

"Cut the bullshit, Leon. This is where I've always parked."

Stormy blue eyes turned a shade darker and icier. It seemed Riku had unwittingly pushed the danger button which allowed the infamous cold attitude of Leon Hart to claw its way to the surface. The brown-haired teen's mood seemed to darken instantaneously as he stood there surveying his former friend in cold silence.

When the he finally replied, he spoke slowly and clearly, sounding out every word so there would be no confusion or ambiguity.

"Not anymore, you don't."

Anyone one else would have turned tail and scampered off under such a dangerous glare. Despite there never being any actual _evidence_, to anyone's knowledge, proving the dangerous or illegal activity he had supposedly committed or was involved in, the mysterious aura surrounding the dark and handsome Leon Hart was fraught with rumours and exaggerated tales of wild conduct and impossible conquests.

But Riku wasn't just anyone.

"Are you trying to play the tough guy?" he raised a silver brow. "How long did it take you to work out this ridiculous little stunt just to piss me off?"

Leon just smirked faintly, welcoming the arrival of a long intimidating silence, letting it settle in amongst them. The simplicity of his reaction made Riku re-examine his own confidence in this battle of wit.

And it was probably exactly what he wanted to do: to rattle Riku's armour.

In some ways, Leon Hart was so inept at understanding the mechanisms behind social relations and interactions. But in other ways, he defined these terms. This was just an example of the latter. It was probably one of the reasons why so many feared and admired the dark teen – the ease in which he manipulated fear.

"You are so insignificant on my radar, Riku Samuel, that I would not bother wasting time and energy for the sole pointless purpose of _'pissing you off'_." If the brown-haired boy ever drawled, this icy statement would be as close to that as possible.

"I've been parking here for a little over a year now. The only reason you were able take my spot yesterday, was because I was running a little late. Keep that in mind next time," the scarred boy muttered and briskly turned and left. A cold mechanical exit.

Once upon a time, Riku was one of the special ones to Leon. He was one of the only people whom the aloof and reticent Hart son allowed to get close: whom he smiled at and hung out with; who was allowed to see behind the walls that were put up to keep everybody else out. What a big contrast to becoming one of the only ones he went out of his way to be deliberately nasty to.

Like the collapse of a row of dominos, Riku's thought unwittingly focused on his alienation of his other ex-best friends, one after another. Like Yuffie's pure loathing towards him. And Wakka's uncertainty about him. Even Selphie and Tidus, who welcomed him home more readily than the others had, he felt a definite gap filled with mistrust separating him and them, which definitely didn't exist before. And Kairi. How different their relationship now is.

But worst of all. He knew none of this would have happened had it not been for his rash decisions a year and a half ago.

Maybe this horrible feeling was regret?

Riku was suddenly reminded of where they were – in the middle of the school car park, surrounded by crowds of fellow students just having arrived for the school day. He felt very naked under their gazes.

In fact, almost every pairs of eyes around the parking lot was trained, whether blatant or discreet, exclusively on this part of the area. He was sure that everyone who wasn't present to witness his and Hart's spat, would know down to the last juicy detail by lunch.

Looking away, Riku robotically directed his car away from the scene of all the tension and away from the judgemental stares of his fellow school mates – many who once admired, respected and feared him and his social position and familial connections, but now…he didn't know. It was all just another reminder of the consequences of his actions – the relinquishment of his proverbial throne.

A couple of calming breathes.

_Remember why you've returned_, he reminded himself. _Because you're not a coward._

Samuels were strong. Wasn't that what he was always taught? Droned into him since infancy?

_Never show weakness, Riku. It's unbecoming of you, as the youngest Samuel son._

And so he couldn't.

There seemed to be a lack of available parking spaces on the surface level, so they continued to the underground levels. The ride was marked with a tense silence where Sora didn't know what to say and Riku didn't know if he wanted to hear it.

They finally settled in the corner of the second lower basement level. Riku's black Jaguar stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the few, less exotic vehicles scattered across this parking level, mostly occupied by the 'misfits' of their school.

As the engine was stilled into silence, Riku sat with out a word, staring intently straight ahead at the concrete wall. His hands still gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning paler and paler into white. Their breathing seemed to be deafening in comparison to such stillness.

"Riku? Are you okay?" came Sora's sweet tentative voice, tone full of worry.

_What do you think?_

Riku slowly looked at Sora. His intense gaze seemed to speak to him, hold an unspoken message that Riku could not bear say out loud, and thus _imploring_ Sora to understand if anybody.

But Sora didn't and they dulled into unreadableness.

The silver-haired teen attempted a small smile which hardly touched his eyes. Hardly reassuring.

"Yeah," he murmured, looking away. "Just fine."

Sora's heart sped up in response. He suddenly felt a little cold.

The younger boy fidgeted with the strap on his bag by his feet, both very ready to step out of the car and head towards his first period, and thus retreat from this strange and terse situation, but at the same time also very reluctant to leave Riku in such a vulnerable moment, however the older boy would want deny it.

But then he looked down, forlorn blue eyes shaded until all that could be seen of them were a curtain of long dark lashes against tanned skin.

"Okay." His voice was soft.

.

.

Yuffie slowly pushed her pen up and down on the flat surface of her desk, making an audible click each time she did it.

_Click._

As time passed, the clicks only seemed to get faster and faster,

_ .Clickclickclick…._

Until it was brought to an abrupt stop.

"Kairi didn't show up for Atlantican this morning," she quietly stated, eyes never leaving the front of the room where their teacher Mr. Li was discussing questions of ethics involved in international politics.

On her left, Selphie, who was originally sucking on a mint with her chin on her hand looking decisively bored, perked up and turned sharply to the raven-haired with a worried expression. "Really? Do you know why?"

A mere shrug of the shoulders. "Other than Riku?" her tone was sardonic. "Not a clue."

On her right, Tidus momentarily paused from studiously taking down notes and put down his pen. "I tried calling her yesterday. She didn't pick up."

"I did too. Same thing," Selphie added softly.

"I think we all did," Yuffie concluded. "She didn't return any of my messages and her phone was off the entire night."

"Miss. Kirasagi," the raven-haired girl glanced up at Mr. Li with a raised eyebrow. The Chinese man looked stern and was softly shaking his head. "Please don't talk in my class."

"Sorry, Mr. Li," Yuffie muttered, and brought her head back down again. When he turned back to the whiteboard, continuing his lecture, she also continued her own conversation.

"Do you think she did something? You know, like before?" Tidus leaned in, not wanting anyone to hear, especially the man standing at the front of the classroom.

"I'm not sure," the half-Wutainese breathed out. "She probably just went out and got a bit drunk or something; christ knows she needed it. I mean, she told me she quit the other thing a long time ago."

"I don't know," The blond contemplated her words. "She's not exactly in her right state of mind right now, is she."

Yuffie gave a derisive snort. "I'm surprised you actually care."

"Oh lord," it caused Selphie to let out a huge sigh, rolling her apple-green eyes as she turned back to her own section of the bench. "Not this again."

Yuffie turned to her sharply. "What makes you say that?" the amber -girl questioned sarcastically. "After all, weren't the two of you _defending_ the one who's currently causing our good friend Kairi all this heartache and grief?"

"Just because we decide to remain friends with Riku," the brunette whispered back, "doesn't mean we don't care about Kairi's well-being as well."

"Can't you just _smell_ the hypocrisy in that statement?" Yuffie hissed in response.

"Miss. Kirasagi," their teacher had stopped talking and shot her an annoyed look. "I don't want to have to stop the class every time to remind you to stop talking. Wait until lunch, please."

Yuffie just flashed him a fake humourless smile to appease him.

"As I was saying," she whispered after Mr. Li turned away again, though quieter than before. "You can't expect to be friends with both Riku _and_ Kairi. That's like fighting for both sides of a war. It just doesn't happen. You have to pick one. Might I remind you that Riku _left_ us."

"That isn't fair, Yuffie," Selphie murmured back out of the corner of her mouth. "Even though he's not telling us right now, I still think there was a reason behind all of it."

"_Fuck_," the half-Wutainese girl raked a frustrated hand through her shiny raven locks, only for them to fall fluidly back into place. Tapping her pen even faster on the table, "I don't _believe_ you two! How can you just _let it go_ like that? Don't you remember how _long_ we searched for him – all those hours spent following up leads and all those investigators we hired and police interviews we had to sit through – only for Sephiroth to tell us we were _'wasting our time'_?" she clenched her jaw, silent once more, not trusting herself to speak.

However, the black-haired girl's furious hiss did not escape the attention of their International Politics teacher.

"That is it, Miss. Kirasagi," Mr. Li stopped, facial expression pulled into a frown. "I had expected more from seniors. I've asked you twice before, and this is your final warning. Please stop talking in my class. Otherwise I'll have to–"

"You'll have to _what_, Mr. Li?" the teenager spat.

And then she slowly looked up – at such an agonizingly suspenseful pace that when her eyes locked onto a pair of brown ones, Shang Li had to chock back a gasp. Never had he seen eyes of such colour – so bright and sharp and cold, like that of a hawk.

When Shang Li was first offered a teaching position at the prestigious Radiant Garden Academy, the most exclusive school in the country, he was overjoyed. It was all any teacher could hope for. An extremely well paying position in a school full of the brightest young minds of the country (the Academy was renowned for offering much sought after scholarships). He did, however, later realise that not everyone there would be bright, eager-to-learn scholarship accepters, but much of the student population would be occupied by the sons and daughters of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the nation. At the time, Shang Li didn't care. As long as he stayed out of their way and they stayed out of his. And he could just do what he loved to do – teach.

But as the daughter of the powerful Kirasagis, who were known for their extensive underground connections, slowly cocked an eyebrow at him, daring him to speak under the threat of repercussions beyond the Academy's walls, he wondered if he had made such a good decision after all.

A faint smirk formed on Yuffie's lips at his silence. The man had held his tongue, posture admitting defeat. Slowly and deliberately putting down the pen she held in her hand back onto the desk, Yuffie leaned back into her chair and casually crossed her arms, eyes never blinking. After watching her father's manner during his numerous business meetings since she was very young, Yuffie was well versed in the art of intimidation.

Mr. Li turned around quickly, unable to hold the stare, and the lesson continued without another fuss.

Despite all the commotion which all just occurred, both Selphie and Tidus didn't pay any mind, thoughts still mulling over the half-Wutainese girl's harsh but truthful words.

In a lot of ways, what Yuffie said made perfect sense and it wasn't irrational at all. Tidus clearly remembered the emotional stress they all went through, thinking the worst about their dear friend Riku's mysterious fate. And it was even harder to continue on with their lives, acting as if nothing had happened lest the media caught a wind of it, after they realised that he wasn't abducted or ransomed or taken by anything out of their control, but he just…chose to leave.

That was what it all came down to. And neither Selphie nor Tidus had a proper comeback for it.

Falling deathly silent, Selphie had turned away, lips pursed in a thin line. Tidus was leaning over his notebook, appearing to be taking down notes. But if one looked closely, they would realise his pen wasn't moving in his still hand.

"It's just nice to have Riku back, that's all," the blond said at length. "It wasn't the same without him here." And then he hesitated, finding it difficult to admit what he was about to say. "But no, I haven't forgotten."

Yuffie turned to look at him. The strong lines of Tidus' profile stood silent and still, his hair had fallen into his eyes and covered the emotions hidden in those baby blues.

She didn't have anything to say either.

.

.

The sun was shining brightly, forcing Sora to lift up a hand and shield his squinting eyes. But it didn't bother him. The warm rays caressed his skin like the gentle touch of a lover. The grass beneath him were soft and cushioned him like an expensive mattress, but ever so often, a tall standing blade of grass would tickle his neck or that strip of lower back just above his pant waistline where his shirt became untucked.

It has been a while since Sora felt so relaxed – lying happily with a full stomach on the grassy slopes behind the back oval that over looked the cityscape (Radiant Garden Academy was built on a big hill in the wealthier area of the city).

Riku had approached him after his last class had finished so they could have lunch together. And rather awkwardly, which the older boy rarely was, he apologised for his cold behaviour earlier in the car park. Sora, of course, forgave him immediately, happy to smooth everything over again. Riku had been so tense lately that he didn't need Sora to complicate it even further by making him feel guilty for not taking care of him enough. Sora was a big boy now. He didn't want to have to rely on Riku for everything.

"What are you thinking about?" came a smooth velvety baritone from his right, breaking his thoughts.

The brunet opened his sun-sleepy eyes and turned to the person lying beside him. With hair spread out like a silver halo and hands lying neatly across his toned stomach, contrasting against the crisp whiteness of his school shirt, Riku had his eyes closed and a soft smile playing at his lips, equally content.

He turned his head to face Sora, aqua eyes half-lidded, and smiled lazily. "You haven't said a word in ten minutes," he explained.

"I'm just enjoying the sun," Sora nuzzled the grass by his shoulder happily, eyelids closing softly again. "It reminds me of home."

"Hm," was the light response.

They fell back into the gentle silence of sun and breeze and the bluest of skies.

Riku hesitated, not entirely sure he wanted to ask, but did nonetheless. "Do you miss the island?"

Sora peered from under his fingers questioningly.

"It's just, you still always refer to it as 'home'."

"Riku," Sora let out a soft smile. "No matter what has happened, it will always be my home to some extent. There were things I hated about it and wish never happened there, but there were also lots of things I _loved_." His eyes shined brightly. "Didn't you think the beaches were beautiful, Riku? It was one of my favourite things to do – to go for a stroll along the beach."

Given the things that Riku had witnessed in his time on the island, he had thought at the time that he made the right decision in taking Sora away from there. But sometimes, in hindsight, he felt perhaps he didn't to take certain factors into account, like all the precious things and people and memories Sora would leave behind by coming with him.

"Yeah, they were," the silver-haired boy agreed quietly.

And given everything, he wasn't sure that Sora was willing to voice his opinions about it if just for the sake of not complaining. He wasn't sure just how much Sora actually wanted to leave the island and how much he just let Riku whisk him away.

"But it doesn't mean I can't have other homes," Sora went on, unaware of the debate raging inside Riku's mind. "I mean, Radiant Garden is my new home now."

Riku smiled. "Yeah, it is." Sora always said the right things.

Elegant long fingers edged across the grass, inch by inch, until it found the cool skin of a smaller set of hands. Riku slowly slid his hand around Sora's, fingering the smooth tanned skin until they were entwined together in a loose relaxed hold. They fitted together so perfectly it was suddenly hard to imagine what it felt like when their hands were apart.

"Riku?" came Sora's sweet voice.

"Hm?" he answered.

"How come we're not sitting with your friends this lunch?" he sounded so innocent. "I thought you wanted to today, at least with Tidus and Selphie. They were really nice."

Riku cocked a brow at the abrupt question. "There's always time to see them tomorrow. Besides, I just wanted to spend some time with you. Is that wrong?"

"Well," Sora replied, a light blush slowly dusting his cheeks. "You spend pretty much everyday with me already." He suddenly felt a great surge of pride, nonetheless, at his boyfriend's admission.

"Not really," the silver-haired boy weighed it up. "There's been so much happening lately and things are always weighing on both our minds, distracting us – I don't think we could really call it spending time together."

"I guess," the brunet agreed quietly and fell silent.

Gently rubbing soothing circles on the back of the smaller boy's hand with his thumb, Sora's sudden deflation did not escape Riku's detection and he traced it immediately to his careless words. Riku hated his inability to convey his feelings accurately at the times when it called for him to do so the most. His decision to have a quiet lunch with Sora alone today had nothing to do with anything other than he just wanted to spend time with his beloved boyfriend. And Sora could be so sensitive at times. Riku knew he must upset Sora involuntarily all the time but had never known about it because Sora wasn't the type to confront people.

He just wanted Sora to be happy.

With that in mind, Riku was determined not to make this another one of those moments.

"Come here," he said abruptly, turning his entire body to face the younger boy, holding an arm out in invitation.

A little surprised at the silver-haired teen's sudden actions, Sora, nonetheless, smiled and shuffled into those welcoming open arms. Burying his face into the soft material of Riku's expensive uniform shirt, Sora deeply inhaled the other's intoxicating musky scent – so clean and masculine it made Sora feel a little heady. Riku's arms tightened around his form, pulling his body closer until there was hardly any space between them – torso to torso, hip to hip, and legs entwined in a jumbled mess.

Sora had his eyes closed, dark long eyelashes rested softly on his smooth clear skin. The warmth of the sun brought a healthy light flush to his supple cheeks. A soft content smile was painted on his pretty pink lips

It frightened Riku to think that had he not made the decision to escape from Radiant Garden eighteen months ago, despite all the consequences he was currently facing or have yet to face, he would have never met Sora. Who knew that something so beautiful, so perfect was hidden away on a tiny island so unimportant to the world, most people haven't even heard of it. Riku wondered how he managed to survive so many years of his stifling miserable life without this little brunet by his side, tucked away safely in his arms as a constant source of comfort.

Riku lightly raked his hands through Sora deceptively soft messy tresses, fingers playfully rubbing and tugging at the ends, making Sora sigh contently. He ran his hand down the side of the younger boy's head and cupped his face gently. Riku marvelled at the healthy tan colour of Sora's skin, which his own pale digits stood out so much in contrast. With his thumb, Riku softly traced the line of Sora's cheekbones, from the inner corner of his eye towards his ear, making the brunet look at him questioningly. Using the same thumb, he drew a line down the smaller boy's face, gliding over his eyelid and making it flutter close, those soft lashes tickling his thumb, while the other brilliant blue eye studied him closely. And over those petal pink lips, soft and smooth like everything else about Sora, Riku traced his thumb down and hooked it under his lover's chin. Slowly bending down, watching Sora's reaction to every inch of his approach, he placed a soft kiss to those lovely inviting lips.

Sora always tasted clean and fresh and sweet – like the summer sky after a light sun-shower. It was a taste he couldn't get enough of and would never tire of either.

Reluctantly, Riku took his head back slowly until their lips were just barely touching, examining the brunet's half-lidded eyes, deep sapphire blue and clouded with haze. He wanted to imprint every last detail about this moment into his mind, and keep the memory close with him until the day he died. "I love you, you know," he breathed.

He could feel Sora's smile on his lips before they ever reached those twinkling blue orbs.

"Me too, Riku," Sora replied.

And in that moment, they were perfect.

.

.

The distant sound of the artificial school bell alerted the two the end of lunch.

"Damn." With one last peck, Riku reluctantly untangled himself from Sora and sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes and giving his body a bit of a stretch. He stood up, brushing loose strands of grass and plant parts from his pants and his shirt, before extending a hand to the brunet lying on the ground to help him up.

This scene, the stance of Riku offering his hand with a smile on his face, seemed so familiar to Sora that unwittingly swept a rush of memories across his mind. It reminded Sora just how prevalent their time on the island the past year or so was still in their lives.

"Riku?" he asked in a serious tone, after the boy in question hauled him to his feet easily in one fluid movement. "Are you ever going to tell anyone about what had happened?"

Sora didn't need to elaborate to what he was referring, as they both somehow knew. Riku let out a little almost imperceptible sigh.

"I don't know, Sora," he ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Sora just nodded.

"Hey," Riku said suddenly, jerking the brunet out of his thoughts. "I forgot to mention. I have to go see my old blitzball coach after school to see if I can get back onto the team, so I'll probably be a little late. Do you want me to organise a limo to take you home?"

"It's okay, Riku," the younger boy replied, trailing after the silver-haired as he began to walk back to the buildings. "I'll wait for you."

"Are you sure?" a silver brow was raised. "It might take a while. Either way, I've programmed in the number for our driver, Christopher Robins, into the phone I gave you," Sora fingered the sleek lump inside his pant's pocket, "so if you get tired of waiting, call him to pick you up, okay?"

Sora responded with a nod.

Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Wish me luck," he requested, to which Sora did, and strode away.

Sora took out a map of the school that was given to him on his first day, on which he scribbled and highlighted messily, and studied the route to his next class – his last class of the day. It was on the other side of the school, so he decided he had better start walking if he didn't want to be late.

Though lovely, the warmth of the sun and the foccacia he had for lunch had made him incredibly thirsty. Reaching into his bag, Sora was distressed to find his water bottle was completely empty, save for a couple of drops of backwash at the very bottom. But luckily, as he looked up, he spotted a water fountain just inside the doorway of the Humanities Building. Walking quickly to it, he uncapped his bottle and pushed it under the stream of cool purified water (the Academy had installed a water cooler and purifier system under every drink fountain and tap).

While his bottle slowly filled up, the level of water getting steadily and steadily higher, Sora realised he was smiling for no reason, a giddy emotion filling his heart. It was like Riku had said. Lately they've both been so busy trying to come to terms with the stress of being in Radiant Garden, though both for different reasons, they've hardly spent any real time together. But with how Riku just acted, with what he _said_, Sora felt some of his previous doubts of Riku and their relationship slide away into nothingness.

And if that wasn't something to smile about, he didn't know what was.

So deep in his thought, the smiling brunet completely missed a cautious set of approaching steps.

"Sora, right?"

Jumping a little at the abrupt intrusion, Sora quickly spun around, wondering who actually knew his name given it was his second day, let alone approach to talk to him.

"Yes–" and then he lost his voice.

She was one of the most beautiful people Sora had ever seen. The same, though admittedly well made, uniform which seemed so ordinary on all the other girls, only accentuated the elegance of her tall lithe figure. Her magnificent auburn hair glowed scarlet in the rays of light streaming through the large windows, and her facial features were so elegant and regal, it made Sora want to hide his own.

But it was a face Sora recognised. He had seen it in a lot of the photographs Riku placed in his room. He had also seen glimpses of it the previous day around campus, and for a minute during that explosive lunch in the cafeteria.

It was Kairi, Riku's best friend. The one he knew least about out of all of them, despite that fact.

"U-uh," he stammered pathetically, internally scolding himself for his lack of grace. "Hi. Yes, I'm Sora."

Sora offered a hand shyly to the redhead beauty in front of him, but it was ignored.

With stunning blue eyes unreadable, she replied simply, "My name is Kairi."

.


	5. Pt I, 5: Decision: II

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

.

**.: PART I: Chapter 5 – Decision (II) :.**

.

"Thanks for lending me your pen, Riku," the brown-haired girl cooed, straight white teeth flashing. Her perfectly manicured fingers, the middle one adorned with a small tiffany diamond on a white gold band, played with the ends of her neatly styled chestnut ringlets. Meanwhile, a little way behind her, her friends all flashed him their best smiles. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

Her tone was deceptively innocent, but years of experience told Riku she was anything but.

"Yeah," he smiled back, not wanting to be impolite. "I'll see you next class."

Her smile faded slightly and she temporarily withdrew her flirty half-lidded gaze. It was obviously not the response she was after.

Strange, but only eighteen months ago, he wouldn't have bothered treating with courtesy those he found not worthy enough to be his friends. Hell, he probably would have taken her up on her implicit offer. She was a hot and attractive girl…in that conventional perfectly-trimmed-socialite kind of way that they all were.

"Well, maybe we'll sit next to each other again next class." Her tight school shirt was probably a size too small as he could make out the lacy lines of her designer bra through it.

"Yeah, maybe," he replied cryptically. "Excuse me; I have something important to attend to." And it wasn't a lie: he needed to discuss with the blitzball coordinator about his (hopefully) reacceptance onto the team. He also didn't want to keep Sora waiting for too long.

As the nameless girl stammered an "Okay", Riku stood up in a quick fluid and smoothly made his way to the exit of the classroom, commanding the attention of most of the remaining students.

He ignored the quiet comments he knew he wasn't meant to hear.

"Guess the rumours were true." One of the girl's friends said.

"Which one?"

"The one about him having a boyfriend."

Pause.

"You know what, you might be right. But…why? It's not like he had no other option; he could have anyone he wants."

"Don't ask me, I don't know. Besides, don't you think it's kind of…gross. Boys aren't meant to be with other boys. _Somebody_ sure lost their mind this past year." Giggle.

"Excuse me, but are you ladies talking about Riku Samuel?" a new voice interrupted, a male one. "You know what I think…"

Mindless white statics in a world of sounds and noises. That's all they were.

He _despised_ gossip of all things.

Of the earliest moments the silver-haired boy could remember of his childhood, gossip has always been a prevalent thing, weaving in and out of the mouths of those around him – children and adults alike. Whether it was positive or negative rumours spread, they all tended to be grossly exaggerated, having been twisted and mangled around the grapevine several times. The worst kinds were the two-faced sort, talking ridiculous trash about you and your family behind your back but still deigned to smile and eat at the same table at subsequent dinner parties. As well as that, the paparazzi, a constant source of annoyance for his parents and his brother given their success and fame, loved to dissect an already twisted truth and happily piece it back together into something completely deformed of what it once was. On many of the occasions Riku could remember, a few stray photographers would discretely tail after him, like dogs waiting to fight for a tossed out bone, only leaving when they've smelt fresher tabloid blood.

It was something he just had to put up with – a part of life that would never go away. Even though Riku knew he was living the dream of so many, what they don't tell you is the price you pay for it. True privacy and personal space and even a basic human right such as _choice_ were merely words in the dictionary that resembled nothing in the life he led.

And slowly by slowly, he found himself becoming desensitised to it all. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, he wasn't sure. On the one hand, he found it now much easier to deal with all that bullshit, but on the reverse side, it could mark the first step into becoming something he hated – one of _them._

Despite this, Riku could still remember how utterly frustrated and angry and depressed he once was, so affected by those snide passing comments, having not yet developed a thick enough skin. And it suddenly made him wonder, just how Sora was taking it?

Sigh.

Now the silver-haired was reminded of the events of this morning. And how coldly he treated his fragile little brunet. Riku was just angry and frustrated by this whole fucked up situation, magnified by his encounter with Leon. But it was no excuse to take it out on Sora, who has been nothing but patient and supportive throughout everything.

Sure he apologised as soon as he saw him next, but was a mere apology enough? Given how difficult he knew Sora found everything, despite the other boy's denial? He vowed to make it up to his beautiful azure eyed boyfriend – at least as soon as all everything settles down.

But right now, Riku needed all his concentration for the task at hand. One of the reasons he had been feeling uneasy through the last class.

He didn't have to think about where he was going, his legs mechanically drove him forward along a route he's still very familiar with. Pass the cafeteria and through the long melodious hallways of the Music School, then across the oval to the Sports Centre. And finally, his feet stopped before a simple wooden door. The inscription on the marbled glass window read:

_Cid Highwind_

_Blitzball Coordinator_

Riku closed his eyes and quickly steeled his nerve.

His old blitzball coach was crude and blunt and could smell fear better than most wild animals. And he loved to exploit it to entertain his sadistic nature.

A hesitant hand slowly rose, pausing before reluctantly giving a few solid knocks onto the window pane. The sounds seemed overly amplified in Riku's ears.

"Yeah?" a low grunt was heard from beyond the wood and glass.

Another tight swallow before the infamous Samuel indifference forced away any traces of nervousness – weakness, as his father would claim. The teenager placed his hand on the silver door knob and turned slowly.

Inch by inch, the door frame squeaked open to reveal a moderate sized office. Reeking of stale cigarette smoke, it was cluttered with an organised mess of papers, trophies, plaques and photographs. And then there were the more unconventional office decorations scattered around, like the novelty Official Blitzball World Cup 2007 Beer Helmet and the ashtray shaped like a cancerous lung, already half-filled with old ash and cigarette butts.

But it was the intimidating man slouching forward behind the cluttered desk which seemed most out of place in such a wealthy private school setting.

He was chewing a toothpick carelessly while stubbing out a cigarette into the novelty ashtray. Short spiky blond hair and a face of sharp lines and tough features glared at him through narrowed light blue eyes. It registered shock at seeing which individual dared to disturb his peace, before a knowing smirk replaced those features and the intimidating atmosphere returned at full force.

A smirking snort escaped the blond man.

"Well well well. Look what the cat dragged in. A runaway princess comes crawling back." He raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Didn't quite suit you, a life away from daddy's bank account, did it, princess?"

Riku said nothing. It was usually for the best to let Cid finish his words before interrupting. Arguing with the short-tempered man generally translates into suicide.

"Knew you'd stop by sometime this week."

The silver-haired boy remained silent, unconsciously stood up straighter, like a cadet soldier as his drill sergeant screamed insulting nonsense into his ear.

Highwind observed the stoic boy in front of him with amusement. What the fuck did he think this was? Boot camp? If it were boot camp, he'd make this kid get up at 4 a.m. every morning to run thirty laps around the oval. And depending how he felt, maybe also deny him breakfast, given all the shit this kid put him through disappearing like he did.

"So what the hell do you want, boy? Want to reclaim captaincy? Fat fucking chance," to which he emphasised by making a show of turning away with a disgusted snort, as if this was all a trivial issue.

"Not to become captain again, Cid," Riku corrected him. "I let down the Besaid Aurochs, and I don't deserve to be their captain."

"First of all, sunshine. It's not fucking 'Cid' to you, anymore. It's 'sir', got that?"

"Sorry," the green-eyed boy quickly replied.

"And damn fucking right you don't deserve to be captain. My team's a good team; they work hard and they win matches. They don't need to be dragged down by your pussy shit self-centred 'leadership'."

Cid was one of the most unconventional teachers this academy has ever seen.

One would think that such a prestigious and exclusive school would screen their employees so that they were well mannered and professional, who don't scream outrageous profanities at their students, and don't chain smoke on the non-smoking school grounds. One would also think that the spoilt young masters and mistresses would have thrown enough hissy fits and complained to daddy already.

But if Highwind's blitzball coaching hadn't delivered quality teams of state and national championship levels year after year, he would have been fired, if not sued, a long time ago. And if Riku hadn't respected the man as much as he did, he would have punched the fucker's face in from the word 'princess'.

Leaning back in his chair with his enormous arms behind his head, the blond man continued, toothpick swaying with the movement of his lips. "We've already got a captain and a vice. Don't need a third."

It was hard for Riku to look into those eyes, knowing that much of what Cid had said was true. Especially about his leadership.

"I just want to rejoin the team, sir. I was hoping to try out again."

Another snort and pale blue eyes rolled. "Too bad. My team's full. Why don't you try out for Pelicans? I hear they're looking for a Midfielder."

The Pelicans were another of the Academy's blitzball teams – mostly for beginners and newcomers to the sport.

"I hear Besaid is also short a man. I'm here to try out for that position."

"What?" the intimidating man snapped abrasively, toothpick almost falling out. "You wanna be a benchwarmer, eh?" he barked a laugh.

Riku was undeterred. "If that's what it takes to rejoin the team, then yeah."

Sharp pale blue eyes turned contemplative as they surveyed him again. Cid raised a large callused hand to his chin and rubbed over his growing stubble. After a minute or so of silence, the man spoke up.

"Follow me, smart ass."

In a flurry of leather jackets and stale cigarettes, Cid pushed passed the silently cheering teenager as he exited the room. Riku was quick to follow, unable to wipe the small smile which evaded his normally tightly controlled façade. He didn't think it would take so little for his old coach to consider letting him back on the team.

They made their way down a corridor lined with doors to different gymnasiums, halls and sporting and equipment rooms, capturing the attention of anyone who saw them. Finally, they reached a giant glass automated door, leading to a large hall lined with bleachers. At the centre of the room, was a sophisticated giant transparent spheric structure, about two storeys high, filled with water.

It was a sight Riku knew very well. The blitzball stadium.

An arena of so many fond memories; one of the few places where the pressures of family and society rarely reached. Instead, there was only the competition and the thrill of victory.

"Boys," Cid's deep voice thundered through the stadium. "Get over here."

It was then that Riku noticed the line of sweaty young men, who were in mid lap running around the giant space, began to make their way over to the two intruders.

His old team.

As tired, flushed and out of breath faces realised just who it was standing next to their coach, shock and ultimately anger and irritation registered.

Cid hadn't planned to let Riku back on the team. He had planned a humiliating showdown with his old pissed off team mates.

The silver-haired sharply looked back at the man in question. The blond stood nonchalantly with folded arms, smirking arrogantly at him, eyes twinkling with amusement

They say that, deep down, Cid Highwind was truly a sadist.

They were fucking right.

.

.

The drink fountain was probably the last place Kairi expected to find him. Sure she knew bumping into him around school, at least, would be unavoidable, especially since now he was no longer just some nameless faceless person whom she would barely spare a glance at; he was Riku's new boyfriend. And that made him important.

She wasn't sure it was him at first. After all, there were plenty of brunets in the school, and many of them had that messy bed head hair, which was so popular at the moment.

However when Kairi saw those chocolate strands, something she didn't quite fully comprehend made her falter in her steps until she came to a stop, standing silently in the shadows just inside the sliding door of the Humanities Building – watching him. It was only when the boy turned his head ever so slightly, that doubts previously occupying her mind as to who this was were harshly ripped away.

The same blue eyes. The same bow-shaped lips. And that same softness in his expression. The blurry camera phone photo Yuffie sent her barely did him justice.

Sora.

Before she even realised her legs were moving, Kairi found herself approaching the unsuspecting brunet. Her steps were cautious and measured, so quiet and soft it resembled a cat on the prowl. Her mind, however, was nothing like her outwardly controlled movements. In fact, the chaos that was her mental state completely blocked out her rational judgement, making her panic and her heart beat quicken thrice fold.

What on earth would she say to him? What would he say to her? And beyond that, did she really want to hear it? Hear how..._happy_ and _in love_ this…boy was with her Riku?

Was she that much of an emotional masochist?

"Sora, right?" those words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself to leave herself an escape route.

It was too late when a set of brilliant bright blue eyes, wide as saucers, whipped around in surprise, capturing the deer-in-headlights look perfectly.

"U-uh," he stammered, nervous and fidgeting, accidentally spilling some water as he unwittingly tipped the water bottle with his movements. His voice was sweet and light, and tinkled like bells swaying in the wind.

It made Kairi sick.

"Hi," he offered a hand timidly to her. "Yes, I'm Sora."

Kairi just stared at the outstretched appendage, cold disbelief spreading behind her frozen mask. Was he seriously requesting she shake it? His way of mocking her? She felt what all losing sporting people felt, reliving the humiliation of losing by congratulating the winners under the force of good sportsmanship.

Her jaw clenched as she concentrated on refraining from sneering or curling her hands into tight fists. It was below her. But she couldn't stop the glare that unwittingly escaped her control – so intense, all her anger and misery and jealousy translated into this one look. He quickly averted his eyes.

With nothing else to offer, she told him exactly who he was facing.

"My name is Kairi."

_Remember this name, Sora. Remember this name as you sleep so easily at night in Riku's arms, after stealing my happiness away from me._

Unbelievably, the boy slowly attempted a smile, causing a frown to pull at Kairi's lips. "I know. Riku's told me about you."

A dark silence.

What did that mean? Kairi wondered if he knew: about her and Riku and everything else that went hand in hand with them, before deliberately stealing the silver-haired Samuel all for himself. Could this innocent mask really hide such horribleness beneath?

"What did he tell you?" She kept her tone deliberately nonchalant, not wanting to admit her desperate curiosity regarding this matter.

"Huh?" Sora made a soft sound of surprise, then recollected himself, lightly chewing his full plump bottom lip. Kairi briefly wondered if this was how he tempted Riku.

Disgusting.

"Well, a-all he's ever said was that you're his best friend, and have been ever since you were children." He looked up at her.

So Riku had kept it from him.

"Really?" she said snidely. "And here I thought that being in a relationship with Riku Samuel, there would be more communication between the two of you."

He didn't deny it. In fact, the brunet looked away, suddenly a little sad. His emotions were so easy for Kairi to read – like stumbling across a forbidden book where she would waste no time gleefully pouring over its hidden contents. And as it seemed, it looked like not everything were rainbows and sunshine between Riku and Sora.

Kairi inwardly smirked.

"I-It's not really like that," the boy tried to amend, "not really. Riku's just…been under a lot of stress lately. So I can understand if sometimes he doesn't feel like talking." He trailed off.

Even Kairi could tell he was just lying to himself.

No matter how much this boy tries to deny it, she knew what it was like to be in love Riku: it was always all about him. Everything else was only second in priority to his needs and wants – family, friends, even yourself – if only just to keep him happy so that you would also be happy. And Kairi had been fine with such an arrangement, and Riku had loved her best out of all of them. But this boy, this Sora, seemed to be struggling with accepting such a life; he had bitten off a little too much than he could chew.

"But this isn't just a recent thing, is it?"

Kairi's quiet words resonated in Sora's mind like shrilly echoes bouncing off cliff faces. "It's always been a little like that with Riku. Always having to wonder just how much he told you and how much he left out. It's hard not knowing, isn't it?"

Sora wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, and box out his ears. But sadly, he knew they spoke an ounce of truth. Kairi's tone was so sympathetic, and Sora couldn't fault her for that. But no matter how good her intentions were, he really just wanted her to stop talking – he liked living in delusion and fantasy. It had always served him well.

Sora bit his lip, a small habit he had when he was in deep thought. _But it'll get better. Even Riku himself said so._

"How did the two of you get together?" Kairi asked abruptly. "If you don't mind me asking."

Relieved for the change of topic, "Um…" he started. Then hesitated. The slight boy knew Riku was reluctant to share any details of their time on the island, even with his closest friends, but at the same time, he didn't want to be rude. "We kind of…just found each other, I guess." Sora was proud of his vague answer.

Meanwhile, frustration consumed Kairi. She was getting sick of not knowing, especially about Riku. And she especially didn't like being kept from her answers by some dim-witted kid who didn't deserve to be here in the first place.

"That sounds like a line from a soap opera," she almost scoffed, masking it in a joking manner. "Let me guess, love at first sight too?"

"Oh, n-no," Sora laughed uncomfortably; it was from the truth.

"Oh? What was it like then?"

"Well…a situation happened which kind of…forced us together. And we just kind of fell in love from there."

Kairi hated how simply he phrased the idea of Riku falling in love. It was so so much more complex than that; it was as if he was living in a fairy tale playing inside his head. Or maybe she was just unfortunate to not be living her own happily ever after.

Instead, it was ripped from her, wrapped and handed on a silver platter to this…_unremarkable boy_. She had never felt so bitter.

"It doesn't really sound like love to me." It was a low blow, but right now, all she wanted to do was hurt him as much as he hurt her, even though she knew it wasn't really his fault. But those who have been scorned usually don't possess a substantial amount of rationality.

Sora looked a little shocked. His doe-like azure eyes widened slightly, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked in a little voice.

Kairi merely observed him, letting the tense silence build up between them. She hoped the suspense would make him more and more uncomfortable; it was the least she could do.

And then it struck her. This was his weakness. The boy was filled with the same doubts she was plagued with during her short romantic relationship with Riku. And by default, this was also her weapon against him.

And Kairi Spencer was no stranger to mind games.

"I'm not trying to offend you or anything," the red head turned on her apologetic smile. "It's just, you don't want to fall into such a trap in the long run. Particularly with Riku. Like you said, I've been his best friend since forever. Of anybody I should know."

"But…you don't know that."

"I was also his girlfriend."

He didn't say anything.

"Besides, I'm also just judging this from what you've said," Kairi tucked a stray auburn lock behind her ear. "This situation you mentioned, the one that brought the two of you together – you did say it was forced, didn't you?"

"…Yeah," he hesitated.

"So how could something like love spring from something like that?"

She asked such difficult questions. How _does_ something as pure as love borne from something as twisted and complicated as what he and Riku went through? He didn't have any answers.

"I…don't know," Sora finally admitted in a small voice, giving a little uncertain shrug of the shoulders. "It just happened."

"Something must have been different," the girl pressed. "Riku doesn't just…give into his emotions like that. Especially when it comes to commitment and love."

"It was just so crazy," the brunet almost seemed to be speaking to himself. "We barely had time to think about it before we realised what had happened. And by then, we were already…" he trailed off.

"So you're saying that neither of you rationally understood your respective feelings for each other," Kairi deliberately twisted his words around. "How can you be sure it's love then?"

He thought he knew; nothing he had ever experienced in his entire life resembled what he felt for Riku. But now…

Sora sighed, defeated. "I guess I'm not," his tone was soft.

"Why do you love him, Sora?"

Why did he love Riku?

Well, that was simple. He wished he could make Kairi understand – see that what was between them was real.

He loved Riku because Riku was the first person who seemed to understand him. Because he didn't judge him like so many other who did before ever getting to know him. Because he naturally acted in a way that made him feel like a human being. Because Sora was trapped in this dark oppressive bubble and–

"–Riku saved me…"

It was barely a mumble, but Kairi caught the words loud and clear. She inwardly frowned a little.

'_Saved him'_? What did that mean? Saved him from what? It all came down to the past mysterious year and a half.

What on earth happened to Riku?

Nonetheless, "But doesn't that prove my point?" she murmured, finally getting through to him. "That what you feel towards him isn't love, but just gratitude at being rescued?"

Sora's eyes widened.

What Kairi's saying seemed to be perfectly plausible and logical even – it just made a lot of sense. After all, how would _he_ know what love is? He's never had anything to compare it to before Riku. What he thought to be a good and loving relationship was probably seen as morbidly twisted through the eyes of a normal person. And gratitude? Yes, he did feel gratefulness – very grateful – to Riku for saving him from his impenetrable dark cocoon. But, was it just like Kairi said?

Was that all he felt?

_But of course it wasn't 'love'._ The cruel little voice in his head taunted. _How can a freak like you possibly 'love'?_

"And Riku," the red head continued unmindful of Sora's internal battle. "Riku likes to play the knight in shining armour."

Sky blue eyes snapped to her face, a silent _'What?'_ hung in the air.

"Riku has always liked being the hero, you know," she told him, almost casually. "It could be the youngest child complex, but he always did like to shine. And saving you, as you put it, is probably his way of doing just that." She studied him closely out of the corner of her eye.

But Sora didn't notice that. Nor did he notice the coolness staining his foot, water spilt from his long forgotten bottle right onto his shoe. The brunet swallowed deeply, trying to rid himself of the lump stuck in the back of his throat. He failed miserably.

Once again, Kairi made a lot of sense. Why else would someone like Riku supposedly 'fall' for someone like him? Sora always knew Riku was different ever since the first time he laid his eyes on him – special. And now that he was living in the big city of Radiant Garden, Riku's home, he was able to see just how special Riku was. A son of a prestigious and amazingly wealthy family – he could barely move without hearing Riku's name mentioned on some level. And on top of that, Riku was handsome and popular and seemed to be so intelligent and good at everything.

And Sora? He was nobody. Just a boy from some island somewhere in the world.

And _that_ was the truth.

_And how can anyone fall in 'love' with a freak like you?_ The voice chuckled.

"Hey," came a gentle prod. It was Kairi again.

He looked up at her, and took in her enchanting beauty and elegant grace. _This was more like someone on Riku's level_, he observed sadly. _Someone who deserved him._

"Look, I'm only saying this because I've seen countless other girls fall under his spell and end up throwing themselves blind in love with him. It never turns out well, you know."

Sora nodded listlessly.

"Anyway, I think I'm late for my class," she looked past down the corridor behind him. "Goodbye, Sora."

Sweeping past the silent boy, she almost missed the whisper of 'bye'. There was no more reason for her to stay behind, her deed was done – the boy was obviously deeply affected by what she had said. The foundations of his relationship with Riku was now shaken, if not crumbling.

Who knew it would be so easy. Kairi would have expected someone who was strong; a worthy adversary. Someone perfect for Riku. But Sora was far from what she expected. So naïve and easily wounded. A pauper at the feet of the prince.

A sudden urge arose causing the crimson-haired girl cast a quick glance back over her shoulder. He was but a lone figure standing frozen in the middle of the corridor, clutching solemnly to his dripping water bottle, still facing where she had originally been standing. Kairi turned back around with a smile on her face. Her now calm footsteps echoed masterfully down the empty hallway.

.

.

"What's _he_ doing here?" was the first thing said after the original shock wore off.

"Now now, no need for hostility, is there?" Highwind chided in an amused tone, obviously enjoying the show.

"Riku!" Tidus' voice singled out as being pleasantly surprised, albeit a bit out of breath, having just arrived behind the others, face pleasantly flushed and strands of blond hair stuck down on a brow gleaming with sweat. Wakka finished just after him, though he remained silent, chocolate brown eyes unreadable as he stared on. Riku returned Tidus' grin, silently thanking him for his newfound spurt of courage.

"But seriously, Coach," another asked more respectfully. "Why is Samuel here?"

"Dear young master Samuel," the blond man took his time to drawl out his words, "wishes to join the team."

His was met with a tirade of loud protests.

"What?" "You're kidding me!" "You're not going to fucking let him, right?"

Cid swept over the angry faces of his team, and turned back to the solemn silver-haired boy. Amusement never left his strong features. "Guess that's a 'no'," he lightly informed him, deliberately acting oblivious.

Riku couldn't help the small scowl which appeared on his face. He hated the way Cid would mock and taunt people, aiming for their weaknesses without fail. It made it so much worse that he deserved all of it, having failed the loyalty and respect the team had once trusted to him by carelessly throwing it away.

"I'm surprised you even bothered trying," a sandy haired boy sneered, crossing his muscular arms with a glare. Hercules Olympus – the team's Left Defense, if he remembered correctly. The boy was always cocky and pushy, filled with ambition to be named the best player, though always falling short behind Tidus, Wakka and himself, all of whom he didn't bother hiding his resentment for.

"It's better than sitting on my arse doing nothing," he retorted.

"Better than running away like a coward?" the Athenian boy lifted a brow.

Riku was forced to bite his tongue. Giving into his anger and taking it out on Olympus was not the best way to convince them he had matured.

"Look," Riku sighed, suddenly so tired from all the apologies and half-formed explanations he had to deliver so far. Just how many left before he was done? "I apologise for disappearing right before the Blitzball Grand Final without so much as a reason. I still don't have one. I screwed you all over, as a team and as individuals, particularly since I was captain at the time." He didn't dare look up, not wanting to see the cold scepticism in their eyes. "But right now, I just want another chance to prove to you that all that's behind me now. I belong on this blitzball team, and no other."

Maybe, just maybe, Riku prayed as his plea was quickly processed by the eleven boys in front of him.

But then,

"Crocodile tears," someone snorted.

"Just because you're a Samuel, doesn't mean you can go ahead and do whatever you want." This time it was Tarzan Porter – his previous understudy for Right Forward. Riku wondered if he was the main Right Forward now. "We've all got sway and connections of our own, you know. And everyone here's been hand picked for skill and determination and _selflessness for the team,_ something you clearly lack," his lips curled at the last part. "You can't just buy your way back onto the team with your family name."

The grunts of agreements from the other players didn't exactly encourage Riku that he could convince them that that wasn't even remotely close. He might just be in way over his head.

"That's not what he's doing at all," Tidus suddenly came to his defence. The tall teenager turned to his team, remembering back to when Riku shot down this exact same idea of bribery only yesterday. "Do you _honestly_ think _Coach_ would be the type to be bought and threatened?"

Doubt started to fill the boys, judging by their facial expressions. The idea of Cid Highwind being intimidated by _anything_ seemed completely ludicrous.

Even so, Olympus did not seem to want to let it go. "I get you were friends with Samuel once upon a time, Kilpatrick. But what's to say that he won't just abandon us at a crucial time this season again? You have to think about the team," he said to them as a whole, generating agreement from them, before focusing on the blond again. "Especially as vice-captain."

Tidus glared at him.

"My personal connection with Riku has nothing to do with my opinion. Riku was a brilliant Forward, and a wonderful captain. What he did, I can't speak for, but everyone makes mistakes. And now he's back and repenting for it. I don't understand why giving him another chance to redeem himself would be a problem."

"You're way too naïve," Hercules disregarded him.

Tidus was not impressed. "_How_ am I being naïve, Olympus?" he asked, voice showing a little anger which it rarely did.

Cid, silent but not forgotten, still had an amused look on his face from his position a little behind Riku.

"I think," another voice interrupted loudly. It was Eric who spoke up; a good natured boy who preferred to keep things levelled. "I think the Captain should have a say about this."

Following the black-haired goalkeeper's line of sight, all eyes turned to the unusually silent redhead standing behind the majority of the boys, distinctive quiff, in conjunction with his enormous height, towering over their heads. He seemed a little surprised at their looks, as if just coming out of a daydream.

"Wha'?" was Wakka's intelligent response.

"You're the Captain now. What do you think? About Samuel?"

Wakka turned silent once more, thinking it over. The furious debate going on in his head was almost perceptible in the darkening of his brown eyes. To most of the other boys, the redhead was just doing what any good captain should do – weigh the benefits and shortcomings of the proposed situation.

But to Tidus, Cid and himself who knew Wakka through and through, the redhead was tossing up between a lot more. Like his position and authority as captain against the any still lingering loyalty to the pervious captain. Riku didn't want to think of the strong character that was Wakka as having any weaknesses, but he knew that the other boy had many insecurities – one of which involved measuring the strength of his captainship against Riku's own.

It's not like he should be worried, Riku thought negatively, as Riku had by far destroyed anything worthwhile in his reign when he abandoned them so suddenly.

Wakka looked up to Highwind, his gaze asking for help. But Cid, being the cold person he was, just gave him a look which said, _'you're on your own, mate'_.

Riku briefly considered how each outcome would change his relationship with Wakka. If Wakka declined him, their barely reconciled friendship would always be shadowed by this decision, even if they tried not to let it. If, however, the opposite was decided, they would suffer under the strain of maintaining a good friendship while balancing an amiable team mateship in the blitzball dome. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation either way.

Ending the silence waited on with baited breaths, Wakka announced his decision.

"Let Riku have his chance," he quietly declared.

Olympus looked like he couldn't believe it.

"What?" he spat scathingly, echoing the sentiments of some of the other boys.

But for once, Coach Highwind decided to participate. "Looks like the captains have voted," he eyed them down. "Well," after nobody moved, "You've got more laps to do. And I don't see any running."

Like sulking children being scolded by their mother, the teenage athletes reluctantly returned to their training one by one, following each other. Riku stood there, determined not to feel bothered by the rough shoulder bumps the guys gave him as they passed, particularly Olympus and his additional insulting mutter. Tidus, however, offered him a word of encouragement. "It'll get better," he had promised. His brilliant sunny smile made it hard to doubt his optimism.

Riku tried to make eye contact with Wakka, wanting to thank him for his belief in Riku's abilities, despite all the personal inner conflicts he was obviously faced with. However, the redhead avoided his gaze, deliberately eyeing the floor as he passed, before catching up to one of the other guys ahead of him.

Riku couldn't help the disappointment which flooded him. Another wasted chance to make things right again.

"Samuel," Cid's hard baritone penetrated his thoughts, capturing the silver-haired's attention. "Tomorrow's after school practice – the Pride Land Oval at four."

With no warning, the scarred man took a few quick strides until he was barely an inch in front of the surprised teenager and abruptly seized the front of his school shirt, hauling him forward menacingly. "If you fuck with me again or let the team down," he snarled in a furious hiss, eyes flashing, "I'm going to _gut _you like the gutless shit you are, capiche?"

He didn't even wait for a reply before releasing the stunned boy; the slight look of panic on Samuel's face was answer enough. "Oh, don't be late tomorrow," he added as an afterthought, striding away with his infamous leather jacket trailing behind him.

Riku gulped, fixing his tightened tie and smoothing out his shirt. He had forgotten how intimidating and confronting Cid Highwind could be. Walking out of the stadium door, he was stopped by a voice calling him.

Wakka jogged up, slightly out of breathe. Riku looked at him questioningly as the taller boy stopped in front of him. For a moment, each teen said nothing, just studying each other silently.

"Riku," Wakka suddenly spoke up. "Jus' want ya to know. What I said yesterday 'bout, ya know, your 'orientation'?"

Riku gave a sound of acknowledgement, encouraging him to continue, though a little cautious.

"Just," his features twitched, "forget 'bout what I said, ya?" He brought a large hand up, rubbing the back of his neck – a habit his reddish-orange-haired friend tended to do under stress or awkwardness. "My older brotha; I said he moved ta Port Royal," he explained. "Well, he didn' _just_ move out. Got kicked out 'cause Mother and Father found out he was a fudge packer."

Both of Riku's brows rose. This certainly was news to him. Wakka rarely spoke about his older brother, despite his obvious admiration and loyalty for him.

"So yeah, always been bit weird about the whole…'gay' thing. Jus'…wanted ya to know. It's not you or anythin'. And I'll try to be cool with it and all," the built boy stammered awkwardly.

Riku finally smiled. A chance was all he wanted. "Thanks, man."

"Jus'…" Wakka seemed a bit nervous again. He probably would have blushed if it wasn't already for the red flush of exertion from his running. "Don't _'do things'_ in front of me, ya?"

Chuckle. "Sure thing."

"Well," the redhead gave a finalising nod, quiff jutting with his movement. "Good that's cleared. Gotta get back to the guys now," a thumb roughly jerked to behind him.

"See you tomorrow, Wakka."

A wide grin and bright disposition dominated Riku's countenance on his walk to the car park. Finally, he was given a break. Things seemed to be slowly falling back into place. Riku did actually notice that Wakka had completely avoided their unresolved captain issues, but a chance was still a chance. And he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Riku absently noted that Sora was nowhere to be seen by the front entrance steps, or anywhere along the sidewalk. Looks like he did get tired of waiting. Shame, because Riku really wanted to tell him about what just happened. Finally something good was starting to happen. Maybe it'll give the shy boy some much needed optimism during these stressful times.

Riku grinned to himself as he pulled out his car keys.

.

.

The polished stone tiles were cold and hard and jutted uncomfortably into Sora's back thigh. He would shift his position, but he knew it would just be another uncomfortable position.

The petite boy sat on the polished steps of the grand front entrance of Hollow Bastion, waiting for him. He didn't know what else to do. He's been sitting in that exact position since retreating from school after his accidental meeting with Kairi, completely skipping his last class. He had just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Sora didn't know how much time had passed, but when one has a lot on their mind, time tends to speed by rather quickly.

Kairi's words played like a broken record inside his head.

Loud and clear.

And over and over again.

Love. What was it? It didn't seem to exist. Sora has never really known _any_ shape or form of this strange conception that is love. How on earth was he meant to compare and analyse his current feelings to a set of prior non-existent ones.

And did Riku really love him, like he claimed to but a mere few hours ago at lunch?

God, why couldn't he just _know?_

Sora wished it was as easy as just asking the older boy. But it would just be another stressful drama – another annoyance – added to Riku's already full plate. He was dealing with so much already, emotionally, and didn't need Sora to further complicate things.

Some things can wait.

And his stupid feelings and stupid insecurities were just some of them. They just weren't important.

Instead of complaining, he should be glad at everything that Riku has given him already – his friendship, a home, paid living expenses, but most importantly, a way to start afresh.

The cooler evening breeze ruffled Sora's messy chestnut locks and drew trails of chills against his skin. He brought his hands up to his arms, rubbing the cooled areas to generate some warmth through friction. His eyes didn't stray from the massive iron gates at the end of the long long driveway.

In that moment, the brunet made the decision to keep all of this to himself. Some things were also best left unshared.

.

.

Even Mr. Smee, their usually unperceptive butler, could sense a change in her as he opened the limousine door, taking her book bag from her.

"Miss. Kairi seems unusually high spirited today," the portly man commented lightly.

"And so I am," she answered loftily, strolling up to the front door, as another of the servants opened the door for her.

"That is good," Mr. Smee quickly ran after her, short legs struggling to keep up with her graceful easy stride. "Miss. Kairi hasn't been of the greatest mood these recent days."

Kairi stopped short, raising an eyebrow at the butler. "And your comment is meant to imply _what_, Mr. Smee?"

The man quickly realised the fault in his words, reduced to a stuttering mess. "I-I apologise for my rudeness, Miss. Kairi. It was not my place."

"No," she agreed, stopping at the hall table by the long mirror cased in an antique golden frame, flipping through the mail left there and picking out the ones addressed to her.

"Before I forget, Miss. Kairi," the stout balding man recovered from his mistake. "Your mother, Mistress Cobra-Spencer, wishes for me to remind you about the dinner this Saturday night."

"How can I forget," the crimson-haired teenager responded, not looking up from the letters. "Mother's hired decorators have been running around the manor this entire week so far."

"Aah," her butler nodded knowingly. "Very good, Young Miss. I shall bring your things up to your room, then."

"Thank you, Mr. Smee."

Catching her attention, the redhead stopped at one of the envelopes placed in her hand. It appeared just to be a normal envelope like the others – clean clear and sharp – but the seal on the back made it vastly different. Kairi could recognise that stamp from anywhere.

It was the Samuel's family seal.

Disregarding the fact the letter was addressed to her parents and not her, Kairi sliced open the letter in a fluid movement with the fancy envelope opener on the table and examined the contents inside.

It was just the Samuel's rsvp to her mother's dinner party – a short personalised note apologising for their inability to attend given both were away overseas on business, but a guarantee that the Samuel sons – Sephiroth and Riku – would be present in their place.

Riku.

The name brought back the memory of her little chat with a boy named Sora. The moment that changed everything for her.

Again and again, the auburn-haired teen was struck by how different the boy was from what she had envisioned. Their personalities were so…different. She truly believed that Sora was completely the wrong person for a strong character like Riku. By helping to end their unavoidably disastrous relationship, she would be saving them both from heartache.

And help herself.

Riku was just probably too young and unready for a real relationship when they had tried it. And so was she when she idiotically placed that massive commitment on him, driving him away.

That was probably it.

Besides, they're more mature now. And won't repeat the same mistakes they made the last time.

It would be foolish to let Riku slip away out of her grasp now.

A movement at the corner of her vision caught her attention. It was just her reflection moving with herself in the long hall mirror by the hall table. She turned slowly to look, to examine the auburn-haired girl staring back at her.

Poised and calm, with relaxed shoulders and her chin held high. It hadn't been like that for a long time now. But most of all, those sea-blue eyes, which gazed straight at her unblinkingly, carried with it intelligence and strength. And determination.

It was then she realised what had been there all along: that Kairi Yasmina Spencer was not one to go down without a fight.

.


	6. Pt I, 6: Look Like the Innocent Flower

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

.

**.: PART I: Chapter 6 – Look Like the Innocent Flower :.**

.

The hum of vibrations and a persistent blaring of digital sounds.

Shifting and rustling of sheets.

A soft sliding noise, followed by a quiet beep.

"Hello?"

The voice was low and sleep-ridden.

It was barely six o'clock when Sora was abruptly awoken from his much-needed slumber to Riku answering his phone. Having spent the entire night nestled safely in Riku's arms, the sudden shift of position made the absence of that warm body pressed up against his back all the more obvious. Stupid phone. Sora _much _more preferred to continue snuggling with Riku.

It was a little habit they had developed over the course of the last year, once borne out of pure necessity but now has become a daily routine. Of the times when Sora was forced to spend the night in his own separate bed, away from the soothing steady beating of Riku's heart, he would toss and turn into the early hours of the morning, unable to get to sleep. And he knew for a fact that Riku's response to their separation was more or less the same.

So it only felt natural, when they arrived in Radiant Garden but a few weeks ago, to share a bed, if only so they could each get a good night sleep. Riku's bed was more than big enough. It could probably fit five or six other people if they wanted to. Besides, Riku had set up another room in the same wing of the manor for Sora for when any of them would feel like having a night to themselves. Sora doubted such a case would come up. At least on his part.

Letting out a soft yawn, the brunet sleepily blinked the blurriness out of his eyes. He spied Riku propped up on one elbow facing the other way, his sleek mobile phone pressed to his ear.

"Hey," he was saying softly, every now and then pausing and answering with agreements. "Yeah, Sure."

Sora didn't bother listening anymore. His attention, instead, was completely captured by the scene in front of him.

The soft morning rays streamed through the wall-length glass panes that led out to Riku's enormous tiled balcony. The gentle light illuminated the elegant dance of every speck of dust it reached, and when it reached Riku, bathed him in a beautiful ethereal glow that outshined all the sharp smooth light reflective surfaces in the room.

Like the mystical silver lining of the storm clouds, the sunlight cast a pale golden halo around Riku's brilliant silver hair, with each shade and natural highlight playing softly into the light. His smooth planes of his skin seemed all the more pronounced by the gentle shadows the rays cast on the muscular form of his body.

Black sheets pooled by his waist, contrasting sinfully against his silver hair and fine porcelain skin. Riku looked nothing less than an Adonis, gracing the earth with his beauty and majesty.

Damn Riku for being so good-looking. If the older boy wasn't "_with _him" with him, Sora might have been extremely jealous.

Scratch that. Sora was jealous. But proud at the same time because Riku picked Sora of all people to go out with. So take _that_, body image issues!

But those thoughts melted away as the blue eyes travelled up the sleek contours of Riku's back, hypnotised by the ripples and spasms of pure muscle whenever the silver-haired moved slightly. They continued their journey roving over the strong shoulders and along the sculpted arms.

Sora felt like he couldn't breathe, heart hammering away against his constricting chest. His fingers itched to reach out and touch – glide along those hard planes he knew was so smooth to the touch, feelings those muscles move so fluidly under his sensitive fingertips.

He didn't even realise that Riku had finished his phone call and was studying him curiously.

"Did I wake you?" the silver-haired god asked him.

Sora felt his cheeks heating up, and it had nothing to do with the sunlight warming the room. Curse his impromptu blushes.

"No," he tried to say casually, as if he hadn't just been ogling and mentally salivating at the thought of the older boy, but it came out little more than a squeak.

Riku saw right through his nonchalant act and smirked wickedly, eyes twinkling with mirth. He was entirely _too_ good-looking, Sora absently thought. "I wonder what did," he drawled. "It must be something _interesting_ to draw you from your slumber."

_He knows!_

Mortified, Sora immediately threw himself back down, pressed up against the bed, pulling mountains of sheets up over himself just to hide his fire engine red face. How embarrassing. The day had begun but barely five minutes ago and he's already been caught in an embarrassing situation. How much can fate honestly dish out to one little boy?

Riku chuckled. Sora's vain attempt at hiding after being caught staring was, as always, so melodramatic. Why he would _want_ to hide the fact he was ogling was beyond Riku; he personally liked knowing Sora found him physically attractive. And he liked his blush – it's always fun to see how far down that blush extended. Though the sheets had just barely covered his face, it did not conceal one smooth tanned shoulder, just begging to be licked.

"What are you doing, Sora? Smothering yourself?"

"No," came the muffled response.

"Good," the silver-haired replied, slowly gliding over to the bundle wrapped in black satin sheets, until he was directly on top of him, a leg and hand planted on each side, palms facing down. "It wouldn't do me any good if you killed yourself," he patiently waited for Sora to come out.

Sora did love the smooth deep quality of Riku's voice. It was the type of voice you could spend a whole day listening to and never tire of it; it didn't really matter what the words spoken were, just the voice. And when Riku said it just right, it sent shivers down his spine. Like just then, those last whispered words, steadily getting nearer and nearer, made him feel just a little bit heady – drunk on something he didn't understand.

He felt Riku's body edge closer, gliding over him and trapping Sora effectively beneath him. The brunet dared to sneak a look over the material pressed up to his face, just a quick glance, to see what Riku was doing. When one electric blue eye peeked out, Sora immediately gasped at just how close the other boy was.

Nose to nose, eye to eye, lips almost pressed up against each other and strands of soft silver hair tickling his sensitive cheek. Riku didn't wait for a response and immediately dove into Sora's mouth, eliciting an involuntary mewl from him.

"Ah," Riku chuckled. "And so the blush resurfaces. I didn't get to see much of it yesterday. I kind of missed it."

"You just missed teasing me," Sora caught him out, miffed.

"That too," the older boy admitted, unabashed. "You can't blame me. It's fun."

Sora's eyebrows lifted incredulously. "It's fun to tease me?"

"It's definitely my favourite pastime," Riku told him.

"You need to get out more, Riku."

"I have been out. So far nothing else has struck me as more entertaining. It's just so easy to get your blush going."

"What?" Sora was suddenly outraged. "I can control myself."

"Sure," the older boy rolled his eyes. "That's definitely not what you said yesterday."

"I can," the brown-haired teen was adamant. "If I _really _concentrate. I bet you can't make me blush when I _really_ concentrate." Riku's smirk rattled his suspicion, _and_ he felt the beginnings of heat rising to his cheeks. Sora forced it away, definitely proud of himself. "And nothing lewd," he quickly added. "Because that's cheating."

"Fine," Riku shrugged noncommittally. "Azure."

"What?" the brunet looked at him questioningly, wondering what that had anything to do with anything. Riku behaved so weirdly sometimes. Sora wondered if he was sick. Fevers tended to do crazy things to your head. Sora should know. He'd been sick plenty of times.

"Azure," the silver-haired boy repeated. "You know, our colour game. I'm just continuing on from where we left off."

"Oh," Sora paused to remember back to the last time they had played this. "Burgundy."

"Cobalt," Riku returned without missing a beat.

"Teal."

"Navy."

Sora paused. "Uh…Coral," he finally replied victoriously.

Not letting the brunet bask in his glory, "Sapphire."

"Fuchsia."

"Cerulean."

"Why are you only saying blue colours?" Sora asked, noticing the pattern in his boyfriend's answers.

Staring deep into his eyes, causing the smaller boy to shiver involuntarily, "Blue _is_ my favourite colour," Riku informed him in a silky breath.

Huh? He didn't know tha– _Oh._

Sora tried to keep himself from flushing, but it was nearly impossible. And when those tendrils of pink crawled up his cheeks, Riku grinned triumphantly.

"Too easy."

Even though he had lost, and lost miserably quickly, Sora still couldn't help smiling back as Riku claimed his lips as his prize.

It was times like these that made Sora question Kairi's words from yesterday. No, he hadn't forgotten. He was far from forgetting. But right now, with his mind was in a pleasant delicious haze as a hot tongue explored his mouth, soft lips moving rhythmically against each other, what he felt for Riku was definitely more than just gratitude.

It _had_ to be love. What else would send his heart beating away like that, or the rapid spread of that lovely warm feeling, which swept from his head to the tip of his toes like wild fire?

And how does Kairi know for _sure_ that Riku didn't feel the same way?

Riku abruptly tensed, reluctantly pulling away just as Sora reluctantly allowed him to, wanting just a little more. "Sora, babe," he looked at him in soft apology, "I have to go. Just then, the phone call - it was Kairi asking if I wanted to have breakfast with her."

_Kairi?_ His good mood disappeared as rapidly as it came.

"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to have to go," Riku continued, unaware of Sora's thoughts. "You know how hard it's been with everyone; maybe this is Kairi extending a truce. I wish I could bring you, but this is just a Kairi and me thing that we need to sort out."

_Or maybe Kairi was right all along_.

"I'd like things to go back to the way it was with her particularly."

Sora's throat felt a little dry as Riku smiled softly, as if thinking of something else. Or someone else. Didn't Kairi mention that they once went out?

Who would settle for someone as plain as Sora after a goddess like that?

"Will you be okay by yourself this morning?"

Sora nodded absently.

"Breakfast will be served in the dining hall, unless you prefer it brought up to you?"

"No, it's okay," he murmured.

"You remember how to get there, right? It's in the North wing."

"Yeah," he replied, absently studying the lines and contours which made up Riku's handsome face, as if memorising it one last time.

"Okay, good," Riku let out a brilliant smile. "Well, I have to go get ready now. I'll see you for lunch, okay?"

Nod.

"I love you."

Sora responded in kind, causing Riku's warm smile to widen, giving him a soft peck on the lips and before turning and leaving.

Sora stared quietly after him.

_Do you really?_

_Or do you just think you do?_

.

.

Crystal.

That's what this fancy breakfast juice glass was made of.

How did Kairi know?

Well, when she lightly traced along the rim of, the hints of a gentle but clear hum filled the air. It wasn't loud enough to draw attention her way or annoy the other patrons, but just enough to make her smile and conclude how perfectly it wove into the serene surrounding atmosphere.

Mother had once taken her to breakfast at some new high-class restaurant she had heard about from her acquaintances on a whim. Kairi had been reluctant at first. After all, it was the morning for her debut down the catwalk for Radiant Garden Fashion Week – for the highly sought-after RagDoll label by renowned designer Sally Finkelstein – and all the other models had advised it was best not to eat before a show, lest you looked bloated.

She had told this to Mother, but the elegant woman merely laughed and told her daughter she was being silly, that nobody would turn down a Spencer. Anyway, the Kilpatricks had made a passing compliment about the restaurant, which they rarely did, so she had purposely woken up early just to judge that for herself. Besides, Kairi didn't have to _eat_ per se, just simply join her dear mother for breakfast, as the elder redhead woman simply detested dining alone.

As it turned out, Kairi was far from being disappointed.

There was definitely something about Tigerlilly. Perhaps it was the serenity of the restaurant – the tables spaced so far apart you felt like you were in a room of your own, yet also a part of the rest. Perhaps it was the impeccable service – the neat and orderly waiters were so efficient they came as soon as you needed assistance. Perhaps it was the food, which exceeded what the Kilpatricks had said – fresh and light and magical on the tastebud, even the more simple of dishes. And the _view_. Tigerlilly was situated on the top floor of a sky scraper, offering a spectacular 360 degree round scenery.

That morning, Kairi had been so impressed that she temporarily forgotten her silent diet promise, despite the RagDoll show being that evening, and finished everything on her plate til it was spot clean. After all, she just threw a most of it a bit later on – nothing a quick trip to the bathroom for a purge couldn't fix.

Mother hadn't been as impressed as Kairi had, finding the experience only above ordinary. It was understandable, as Mother's pervious marriages led her all over the world to all sorts of exotic places and restaurants to be too impressed by what Kairi's more limited experiences was impressed by.

Even so, Kairi vowed she'd go back. And a few days later, she promptly dragged her best friend Riku there to experience what she had experienced.

That had been three years ago.

Since then, Kairi and Riku formed a special tradition between them. Once a week on Wednesday mornings, they would have breakfast together at Tigerlilly. Just the two of them. It was their special thing.

Looked up from her glass, and frowned, noting that the silver-haired teen still had yet to arrive. But the tranquillity of the atmosphere calmed her. The beautiful gentle hums of the delicate stroking of the harp by her far right soothed her. She looked to her right and out the massive glass wall at the city below. The sun had just barely risen, casting a glorious reddish gold light over the tops of a sleeping metropolis city. It bathed the room flame orange, lighting up the dullest of surfaces to a glowing shine.

Kairi stared down at the vast cityscape that lay out beneath her, spreading out to the horizon, and wondered how small a space their lives occupied in the big wide world. Most of the city's inhabitants could live here their entire lives and never meet each other.

But ironically, a simple boy called Sora, separated by miles of sea and land, somehow found his way over to this particular metropolis. It simply wasn't very fair.

Kairi took another sip of her juice.

A flash of silver caught her eye. She turned her head towards the elevator entrance and saw, at last, the athletic form of Riku making his way over there, a soft smile on his face, several awe struck waitresses and the maître d' following behind him.

Politely waving the women away, Riku sat down fluidly across from her.

"I can't believe they still remember me," he stated, softly shaking his head.

Kairi furrowed her brows. "Why wouldn't they? We'd come here every Wednesday morning. They still remember _me_."

"Yeah, I know. It's just…I haven't been here for a year and a half."

Kairi smiled wryly. "I haven't either, you know," she replied softly. "I stopped coming after you left."

Riku tensed. He looked at her with an unreadable expression. Slowly, he relaxed his jaw and licked his lips. "About that, Kairi," he didn't meet her gaze. "I–"

"Stop," Kairi cut in before her old flame could go on. "What's done is done. You're back now, aren't you?"

"I wish it were that simple," he responded.

Kairi smiled humourlessly to herself. "You know, your parents told us you had transferred to a foreign boarding school. In beautiful Atlantica," the crimson-haired girl recalled. "But no one believed it. You would have told us if it was something as simple like _that_."

Riku didn't say anything. And Kairi knew he just didn't know what to say.

"So naturally we were worried," she continued. "The others thought maybe you had been kidnapped or threatened or kicked out by your parents for one more rebellious act you committed. I guess I knew better. Everyone, particularly Yuffie with her family connections, pulled strings to try and find you. But obviously," she gestured to him with an ironic smile, "our efforts to track you down were pretty futile. Only you could disappear without a trace like that, Riku."

Riku remained silent, mulling over what she had said. Kairi stayed equally quiet while observing him. Part of her was pleased that she made Riku squirm, happy to, in some small way, get back at him for all his done. But another part was just ashamed at herself for doing something as lowly as play on a friend's guilt like that, especially to her best friend, lover, crush, confidant, _everything,_ after he only just returned.

But overall, Kairi wanted the old Riku back. And if she had to ignore what he did, so be it.

"So…New tie?" the redhead suddenly asked.

Riku looked questioningly at her, glancing down at his tie and back up again. "Hmm?"

"Your tie. Is it new?"

He gave her a funny look. "No," the silver-haired replied slowly. "The same tie I've always had and the same tie that all the male students at school have to wear because it's part of the school uniform."

Kairi just laughed at the absurdity of it all. "I know," she admitted. "Just wanted to change the subject. But you know," she added. "You look decidedly really good today, Riku."

It was true anyway.

The young Samuel heir was dressed smartly in his uniform, dark sleek blazer contrasting sharply against the crisp white school shirt with a loosened tie hanging around the unbuttoned collar. Those golden rays, where it might have brought out the imperfections on most people, only illuminated the physical perfection that was Riku. Just looking at him made Kairi's heart beat just that much faster, her breath just that much shorter.

Riku's countenance (thankfully) changed almost immediately. "I see your pickup lines haven't improved," he teased her. "Are you going to ask me if I come here often next?"

"Why would I ask that?" Kairi smirked. "I already know you do because you can't get enough of me."

Riku just chuckled and Kairi was disappointed they flirty banter hadn't gone on for longer.

Kairi's gaze drifted back to the scenery beyond the glass panes while Riku quickly looked down, studying his menu with more attention than necessary, seeing as he already knew from memory the items on the list.

"Aren't you going to look at the menu?" the silver-haired boy asked her, trying to make light conversation.

"I already know what I want," the crimson-haired girl answered shortly, smartly putting an end to his attempt.

A professional, though slightly flustered, waitress materialised at their table as soon as Riku had decided, awaiting their instruction, but focusing more enthusiastically on Riku. Riku and Kairi took turns in ordering, not looking at each other, and the young woman left as quickly and politely as she came, though not without a flirtatious look back at the young man.

They still had not thought of anything to say yet.

_It wasn't meant to be like this_, Kairi reflected on the silence with a slight frown. _It wasn't meant to be this awkward._

"This is ridiculous," Riku suddenly scoffed, breaking her thoughts. "Since when do we have nothing to say to each other? I haven't seen you for a year and a half and yet I can't think of a single thing to say."

"Perhaps you're just nervous," Kairi smiled playfully. She was just thinking the same thing.

"That I know I am," he agreed. "And for the most stupid reasons." He chuckled softly, a deep throaty sound that made Kairi's stomach flutter.

"And what reasons might those be?"

Riku looked up at her. "Silly ones," he replied, shrugging helplessly in a boyish manner. "It's just, I didn't expect to ever sit here with you ever again. I don't want to…screw things up, you know."

Kairi lips spread into a wide smile. "Don't worry," she said at length. "You won't."

"You say that now."

Kairi laughed a little. "So…" she trailed off after a short pause.

"So," the silver-haired teen echoed.

"So, I _do _have questions for you," Kairi finally admitted, "but I don't know if I should. Or even am allowed to."

Riku smirked at her words. "Since when do you ever give thought to consequences?"

"Well you're not the most stable individual, are you?" she teased back. "I value my life."

"Sticks and stones, girl. Ask away. Don't spare me the dirty details."

It was the perfect opening. Riku all but invited her to probe him with all the questions that filled her mind. It probably wasn't the best of timing, as their reconciliation was so fresh she could still feel the sting of the old wounds. "Alright," the redhead took in a deep breath. "Tell me, then. Where were you those last months?"

Riku should have anticipated she'd ask that. After all, what else could Kairi really ask? But for some reason, he failed to foresee it. Abruptly falling silent, Riku looked at her with guarded eyes. "Ask me something else," he said at length.

The auburn-haired heiress frowned. "I can't," she replied. "That was the least intruding of my questions."

"Oh," he said. "Then I can't answer your questions yet."

"Why?" Kairi felt increasingly frustrated.

"I'm just not ready yet." Came the simple reply.

"What on earth happened to you, Riku, that you have to be ready just to talk about it?" At his silence, Kairi frowned. Didn't their history count for anything? "I thought best friends didn't have any secrets."

"Sometimes secrets are for the best," Riku returned immediately. "You should know that." Kairi looked pained, and Riku quickly apologised. "Sorry."

Kairi hated remembering those skeletons, especially if Riku was the one to bring it up. If only there was a way to just…blow up the whole fucking closet.

"Does this have anything to do with…" the red head pronounced slowly, studying the contours of golden cutlery to avoid looking at the green-eyed boy, "what I did when we–"

"No!" Riku quickly interrupted, raising his voice in his haste. "Nothing to do with that." His tone had calmed down again. "This is purely a…personal decision."

"Oh," Kairi swallowed. It didn't exactly ease her suspicions.

And they settled back into tense silence.

"Uh," this time it was the silver-haired who broke it. "How's Ariel?"

"Hm?" Kairi was abruptly pulled out of her stupor and raised an elegant brow.

"Your mother, Kairi," Riku repeated, grinning at her airiness. "How's things going with her? Unless you actually _enjoy_ sitting the silence."

"No," she returned. "I just hate the sound of your voice."

Riku gave her a look. "Really? You'd be the first. I've always been told my voice is quite pleasant to the listen to. Deep and smooth like velvet."

"It's called a _lie_, Riku. My god, listen to yourself. Did you undergo a head expansion surgery and not tell any of us?" Kairi smirked. Bantering with Riku was so much easier to handle. "Anyway, my mother is still the same as always," Kairi rolled her eyes. "Completely frustrating."

"Oh _I_ see," Riku nodded with a smirk. "How _utterly_ _frustrating_ it must be to have expensive gifts and designer clothing constantly thrust onto you. My my, Kairi, your life is so difficult."

"Hey!" Kairi wrinkled her nose. "It's frustrating if she keeps getting me dresses in the wrong size."

"Alright, alright," Riku placated. "Well what about Jafar? Is he still trying to come onto you?"

Kairi nodded her head with a scowl. "Oh yes. I don't know _what_ my mother sees in him." Then she smirked. "I take that back. For the money, she would put up with that old slimy pervert."

"You should get Yuffie to teach you a self-defence move. Like grab, twist and pull," he shuddered.

Kairi could remember the last time she felt so content. Being with Riku was like…breathing. It felt so natural to her. After all, they've been friends since forever. She still had photos of him in diapers. For the moment, Kairi could almost pretend that Riku was hers again. And this breakfast was not unlike all those breakfasts and dates they went on while still dating. It was a nice feeling.

But all delusions have to be shattered by reality at some point. And the mention of that boy who has taken over Riku's life can do just that.

"Have you seen your invitation to my mother's little dinner soirée this Saturday?" she asked lightly, delicately bringing her fork up to her lips.

"I have," Riku confirmed, taking a sip of his coffee. "I was informed that I'm expected to attend," he rolled his eyes.

"The parents?" she guessed.

"Who else?" Riku muttered like a sulking two year old. "And my brother's coming. I can't imagine any more fun," he said sarcastically.

"Well I'll be there."

"Hm," Riku gave an intelligible mumble, still focusing on his less-than-happy thoughts.

Kairi frowned. "Riku," she tried to get his attention, almost waving her hands in front of his face to see if he was listening. "But you will come, right?" the auburn-haired girl pressed. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary if Riku had decided to forgo the party just to spite his parents.

Her companion gave her a crooked grin. "Of course," Riku reassured. "Don't look so worried, Kairi. It gives you wrinkles."

"Just making sure I won't be bored. There's no way my mother would let me get out of it."

"I can't say Ariel's parties were one of the things I had missed most. I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

"She has way too many," Kairi agreed with a roll of her cerulean eyes.

"It's not just that," Riku shook his head. "It's just these…_things _in general. Don't you think they're kind of always the same? Same event, same people, same drama. How boring." Riku's glance drifted out the window. "Besides, it'll be bothersome when everyone starts to interrogate me about the last eighteen months."

Kairi shot him a guarded look. "Do…you not think they have a right to?"

Riku abruptly turned to her, making her feel slightly taken aback. "No I don't," he said firmly. "They don't even know me. It's really none of their business. Besides, I don't think Sora would feel very comfortable with all that attention."

"Sora?" Kairi looked up sharply.

It was the one topic she hoped they wouldn't breach. Most of her day yesterday was spent contemplating the strange new boy, sizing him up and trying to figure him out. It was enough material about Sora to last her a lifetime. Besides, this breakfast was about her and _Riku_, not her and Riku talking about _Sora_.

"Yeah," Riku seemed a little surprised at her reaction at first before he uncomfortably realised why. "Surely you've heard. Sora is…um…he's my boyfriend."

Kairi cleared her throat quietly. Strangely, a bad taste arose in her mouth. "Yeah, I know," she quickly said. "I've heard, I mean." A headache was coming on too.

"Well…is it surprising that I'm bringing him to the dinner?" It wasn't a question, but Riku phrased it like one, asking her for permission.

"No, it's not. Not at all. Do whatever you want," the redhead replied tersely, not trusting herself to look into those beautiful reproachful jade eyes.

"Kairi," she heard Riku call her name, trying to get her to look up. But she didn't.

"What?"

"This…" he paused, "doesn't upset you, does it?"

As if Riku couldn't tell. Considering _the way _in which he left her behind, how could this new relationship he was flaunting in her face possibly _not_ upset her?

She hated this game of pretend they were playing - Riku pretending to be ignorant of her feelings, feelings Kairi was pretending she didn't have.

"No," Kairi glanced up and offered him what she hoped was a sunny grin. "Of course it doesn't."

Riku looked unconvinced, but, thankfully, he had left it at that.

As they were leaving, having spent the entire morning chatting about nothing and were in danger of being late for class, the maître d' appeared beside them as they patiently waited for the glass elevators.

"It's truly a pleasure to have the two of you return to Tigerlilly," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Jasmine" Kairi replied amicably and Riku just smiled.

"Perhaps your next visit won't be after so long?"

"Of course not," the redhead answered politely. "You can expect to see us every Wednesday morning like before."

"I look forward to it," the dark-haired maitre d' beamed. "I hoped you enjoyed your holiday together. It's nice to see young love these days."

Wait, what?

Just what kind of gossip has been circulated in here? And as much as she hated to admit it, "Oh, we're not a cou-" Kairi started to say.

"Yes, it was lovely; we had a great time," Riku smoothly interrupted. A soft bell signalled and the elevator doors slid open. "I apologise, but we really must be leaving."

"Of course," Jasmine gave a slight bow. "Until next Wednesday, then, Miss. Spencer, Mr. Samuel. I'll have your table reserved."

Expressing a thanks, Kairi followed Riku into the elevator. As soon as those glass doors slid shut with a ring, she turned to her silver-haired companion questioningly. Riku was such a confusing character; she didn't want to get her hopes up by reading too much into his words. But at the same time, the Kairi couldn't help but feel at least that little bit elated. "Why did you do that just then?"

Riku cast her a sidelong glance, the streaming golden rays stretching through the glass illuminated his pale porcelain skin, bringing out the emerald of his irises.

"I think we should just let them think that," he told her, facing forward once more. "It would be easier than to quash all the rumours and explain ourselves, which would probably only generate more annoying gossip. And personally, I hope it might also discourage some of the waitresses' silly flirting."

Kairi looked away, hating the tang of bitter disappointment.

It was just one step forward and two steps back with them.

Once they exited the building, Kairi turned to make her way over to the limousine waiting for her right outside.

"Kairi."

She stopped.

"Do you want a lift to school?"

The redhead turned around. The silver-haired boy was waiting by his black convertible, quietly awaiting her reply.

_What a familiar scene,_ she reminisced.

Riku used to spontaneously drive to Kairi's manor early in the morning and offer her rides to school, a habit which only increased once they started to go out. To the auburn-haired girl's knowledge, the Riku didn't give the same offer to any of the other girls he had dated. Only to her. Until now, that is.

Once again, Kairi found herself confused by Riku's unpredictable actions. She never really knew how to take him. it was as if he and his purposely chose to behave in a way that contradicted any normal social interaction just to confuse her. Even knowing him for so long hadn't given her the confidence to say she fully understood the mystery that was Riku.

Well, she was just going to take things as they come. One small step at a time. So, Kairi smiled at the offer.

"Mr. Cricket," Kairi instructed her to waiting driver, "thank you for waiting, but you can head back now if you'd like." Turning to the handsome silver-haired young man, absently fingering the straps on her designer school bag, "I'd love to," she accepted.

One step forward again.

But hopefully, there would be no two steps back to follow.

.

.

True to his word, Riku was waiting outside his classroom when he got out. Leaning against the wall, smirking sexily, he somehow stood out more amongst the rivers of staring fellow students more than Snow White amongst the dwarves. Sora swore he chose to looked that good on purpose just to fluster him. And the older boy's slow assessment of himself, a languid roving eye up and down his body, didn't exactly refute that.

"I missed you this morning," he whispered seductively against the brunet's ear, sending a delighted shiver down the smaller boy's spine.

"Says the one who left," Sora retorted, unknowingly pouting slightly, securing Riku's attention.

The silver-haired boy chuckled in a low husky tone, hand creeping across Sora's back until it settled comfortably on his hip. No point hiding their relationship from everyone _now_ after Riku's explosive announcement during lunch on the first day.

But Sora's mind wasn't on that. He shuffled from side to side, biting his lip, weighing up whether he should ask or not. It wasn't really his business, he got that, but didn't stop the fact that he was _dying_ to know.

"How, um, was your breakfast with Kairi?" he asked, trying to seem casual and appeared to have accomplished it so well that Riku didn't really notice his uneasiness at all. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"It was good," Riku smiled. "Really good. I think we're going to be okay."

"That's good," Sora nodded absently, nowhere near as elated as Riku.

"Yeah it is." Riku seemed so happy. And it was Kairi who had made him happy. "By the way, the Cobra-Spencers are hosting a dinner party this Saturday at their manor. I have to attend, but do you want to come with me?"

"Huh?" Sora snapped out of his daze.

Riku cast him an amused look. "I said, come with me to the Cobra-Spencer dinner event." he repeated, his dazzling smile distracting the brunet.

"Who?"

"Oh, I forgot to explain. That's Kairi's family. Cobra is the surname of her stepfather, Jafar Cobra, this tobacco distributor. It's Ariel's third marriage after Kairi's father."

"What happened to Kairi's real father," Sora wondered.

"He died," Riku said shortly.

"Oh. Well, would I even be invited?" Sora asked. Would Kairi be angry for not putting her advice into action. Was he being selfish?

"Why wouldn't you be?" Riku waved off his concern. "You're my boyfriend. Of course you'd be my plus one. Anyway, if you're really worried, why don't you just ask Kairi? I don't think she'd mind." How very wrong Riku is. "She'll be at lunch now."

"Um…okay then."

He knew he was just being selfish, but Sora kind of wanted spend lunch with Riku alone, like yesterday. Sora couldn't help feeling a slight twinge of resentment towards the red-haired girl. Riku had already spent the entire morning with Kairi. She didn't need to take over lunch too.

It's just, Kairi had so much in common with Riku; much more than Sora does at least. What's to stop Riku from realising that he had made the wrong choice? Being stuck on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere had distorted his mind with small town cabin fever, and now with a clear head, he will soon realise that Sora simply wasn't…worth it.

And he couldn't bear that.

.

.

Yuffie's lips twisted slightly as she thought back to the previous evening.

They had all gone out for dinner, as usual, at the Land of Dragons (an extremely popular high-class Chinese restaurant situated in the heart of their pulsing city). It started out as a fairly regular night, nothing out of the ordinary; just good friends socialising beyond the confines of school and family.

That was before Kairi announced something none of them had expected.

"I'm meeting up with Riku tomorrow," she had said conversationally over dessert. "I'm sick of hating him. Being friends was so much easier."

Needless to say, they were all very shocked with the redhead's proclamation. No one more so than Yuffie. Who knew Kairi would give up after such a small amount of time.

Then again, Riku always had the strangest effects on the auburn-haired girl.

"But _why_, Kairi," she had asked.

The redhead refused to listen to reason, denying the fact that befriending Riku again would be a horrible idea. She simply agreed with Tidus' earlier statement: "It'll be better if things just go back to the way they were."

And strangely, none of the others refuted her poor decision, with some (namely Selphie and Tidus) encouraging it. Even Leon, whom the raven-haired teen knew also to disapprove of Riku's abrupt return, remained silent in the issue.

Was the world going crazy? Can't anyone see reason but her?

"Yuffie," Kairi had pulled her aside later, her eyes completely earnest. "I appreciate you looking out for me. Honestly I do. But this is the choice I've made. I have my reasons, and I hope you can accept that."

"But–" the Wutainese girl had began.

"Please," Kairi pressed. "I'm not saying you have to be best friends with him again; just…let it go. For me."

As Yuffie looked into those pleading ocean-blue swirls, she sincerely hoped her friend knew what she was doing.

"Okay," she had promised.

It was because of that promise that Yuffie was able to sit silently as Riku and his mysterious little boy-toy join them for lunch without a single scathing remark. _Kairi_, she thought, _You had better know what you're doing._

.

.

"Hey," Kairi greeted them, namely Riku, when they arrived at their usual spot in the grand cafeteria. She had cast Sora an unreadable look, which was quickly replaced by a dazzling smile. Riku didn't notice.

Even Leon and Yuffie were significantly less hostile, a vast improvement.

There were only two remaining spots left on the couch, but they were not next to each other. Kairi immediately pulled Riku to the spot beside her before anything further was said. Riku turned to Sora with a brief apologetic look before sliding over. Sora settled on the other side of the coffee table where Selphie enthusiastically patted the empty seat between her and Tidus. When he looked over, Riku and Kairi were already deeply engaged in conversation.

Sora had trouble concentrating on Tidus' words.

He tried to catch Riku after school, just so they can just spend time together and do nothing, like back on the island. But he had forgotten it was Riku's first blitzball practice. It was important to Riku and he shouldn't have to miss it just because Sora wanted him to. So Sora gave up for the day.

The following morning, it didn't get any better. It seemed every time Sora had gotten Riku by himself, something would interrupt them. And perhaps it was because of his (reluctantly admitted) envy of her, but Sora noted that most of these occasions had something to do with Kairi.

"Riku?" he remembered asking one morning. "Do you want to go to the beach this Saturday night? Just the two of us? I remember you said there was a nice shore a little bit away from here."

Riku had given him an apologetic smile. "Sora," he had said. "Have you forgotten that that is the night of that dinner thing at Kairi's? I have to attend and you promised you'd go with me, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. That thing."

"Yes, that thing."

"You know, Riku…I think I like the beach better."

"I do too, Sora. It's much more relaxing and fun."

"I've never been to a fancy party before. I don't think I really want to."

"Me neither. I hate dressing up."

"Then why do you have to go?"

"Because I just have to."

If he told Riku these insecurities he was feeling, however unfounded they may be, would Riku laugh at him?

Sora didn't want to find out.

The next few days blended into the last, all turning out the exact same way – with Sora lying awake to the early hours of the night, clinging to Riku as the older boy slept peacefully, unmindful and shrouded in his own secure dream world.

Saturday had soon crept up on them without a notice. By Saturday afternoon, Sora had realised, with dismay, that the Cobra-Spencer dinner party was merely hours away.

.


	7. Pt I, 7: But Be the Serpent Under't

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

_By: sillysunshowers_

.

.: PART I: Chapter 7 – But Be the Serpent Under't :.

.

Kairi's manor was just as impressive as the Samuel estate of Hollow Bastion. Sora vaguely wondered if it had a grand name too.

As their limo joined the steadily moving line of black limosines up a long beautifully crafted driveway, Sora fidgeted uncomfortably in his new expensive custom tailored clothes that Riku purchased for him only days before. Riku had said that it would only a private dinner party, but it seemed his definition of 'dinner party' was vastly different from Sora's own definition of the same term.

It was like the red carpet situation Sora had seen the rare few times on TV.

A long line of fancy limousines and elegant cars lined up to the bottom of a massive four columned entrance steps. As uniformed valets and attendants opened the car doors, the beautifully dressed high-class and influential people stepped out, with the attendants helping out the women and bowing to the men. They trailed one after another, like a procession of swans, up the steps and in through those large grand doors and into the building.

Sora swallowed nervously, feeling so incredibly out of place. How on earth was he meant to blend in here?

The brunet looked over at Riku, who was sitting quietly beside him, staring dazed out the limousine's tinted windows. Riku would have no problem fitting in, he thought, or rather, he would outshine them all. Dressed in his own designer outfit of dark form-fitting tailored pants, fluid clean cut shirt and a dark grey-green jacket that accentuated his eyes, Riku looked gorgeous as usual – like a pin up model having stepped off the pages of a high fashion magazine.

Sensing his stare, the older teen turned to face his brunet lover, aquamarine eyes glowing with warmth.

"Ready for your first high-society event?" he teased, reaching over to grasp Sora's hand.

"I think so?" Sora guessed, tracing the lines of Riku's hands absently. Then shook his head. "Actually, I don't know. I take it back, I don't think so. What is it…like?"

"You'll see," Riku replied enigmatically.

"Seriously, Riku," Sora whined, squeezing the sculpted pale hand he was holding onto. "I don't know anything about these things. What if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't," the silver-haired said matter-of-factly. "It's just dinner, followed by some drinks and live entertainment. There could be some dancing involved too, but I'm not sure."

Was he _serious_? Was that actually meant to calm him?

"Dancing!" Sora looked mortified. "Riku, I can't _dance_. I'll be horrible! I'll trip over my own feet and fall on all important people and send them all falling down like a row of dominos!" Sora hadn't even registered Riku's laughing. "And then they'll all get really angry and come after me with their scary bodyguard people and then I'll have to change my name and possibly wear a wig for the rest of my _life_!" until he snapped out of his nightmare and looked at the older boy. His boyfriend's aqua eyes twinkled with laughter, his lips drawn up in mirth.

"I hope it's a blonde wig – that'd be kind of hot."

Sora pouted menacingly, or as menacing as a pout could be, at him.

"Sora, you're overreacting again," the older teen sniggered. "Nothing _that_ extreme is ever going to happened, I promise. In fact," with a mischievous smirk, Riku suddenly yanked Sora towards him until they were almost nose to nose. "When people _do _start to dance," Sora could feel every warm breath Riku took entwined with his own, "then you can be sure I'll be having at least one dance with you. And nothing weird is going to happen," he murmured softly to Sora's lips, before settling back down in the seat.

"Riku," Sora whimpered, trying to ignore his sudden woozy feeling and shortness of breath. "You're ruining my concentration."

The silver-haired responded with a chuckle. "How much concentration do you _need_ to go to dinner?"

"Obviously a lot if dancing could be involved," he retorted.

"Fair enough." Riku's brilliant green eyes softened, and he lightly drew swirling shapes onto the tips of Sora's fingers. "But seriously, if you really hate it, we can leave. I've been to enough of these things to want to stay anyway. This is more just a formality to both my parents and Kairi's parents."

"And to Kairi?" Sora asked before he could bite the words back.

Riku just arched a brow and smiled. "Kairi hates these almost as much as I do. But the daughter of the hostess can't very well _not_ turn up, now can she?"

"I suppose not," Sora replied, feeling utterly ridiculous at the flash of giddiness he suddenly felt.

As their limousine came to a stop before the grand front steps of the Cobra manor, a waiting doorman stepped forward and held the limo door open for them as they walked up the steps to the front entrance. Directly inside the front hall, a young sandy-haired man standing behind a tall podium desk paused in his writing as soon as he saw the two approaching figures. Two intimidating sharply dressed men in black suits with ear pieces wired along the side of their necks stood silently on either side of the guest-list attendant, waiting to stop and discharge unwanted or uninvited guests.

"Le Jeune Monsieur Samuel," the young man greeted warmly, not even bothering to check the list. "Bonsoir! How pleasant that you have arrived." He had a distinct foreign accent.

"It's nice to see you again, Lumière," Riku acknowledged, giving him a friendly nod. "It_ has_ been a while, hasn't it?"

"Oui," the man in question replied with a silly grin. "It has been extremely uneventful et _ennuyeux_ without your and Mademoiselle Kairi's antics."

"I find that hard to believe. Kairi's not exactly tame, now is she," he smiled.

"Shall I inform la Jeune Mademoiselle of your and your plus one's arrival? La Jeune Mademoiselle did request I inform her."

"No need, Lumière," Riku dismissed.

"As you wish."

Riku suddenly spoke up, waving off the two attendants who had approached to take their jackets. "Has my brother arrived yet?"

The sandy-haired male quickly looked down and scanned his list.

"Samuel…Samuel…Samuel. Non, not quite yet arrived," he finally concluded.

Riku breathed a sigh. "Thanks Lumiere

They turned into a long elegant corridor peppered with an old-Victorian style and continued towards the sounds of music and laughter. Their expensive hard-soled dress shoes barely made a noise on the Persian carpet. Sora's eyes were glued, however, on the displays of interesting art pieces as as they passed them. There were painted portraits depicting faces of middle eastern descent – obviously from the same family. Sora concluded they were probably of the Cobra family, whose descent had married Kairi's mother. There were also a large variety of interesting and more contemporary art forms of canvas pieces, statues and installations.

"Kairi's mother is an avid art collector, you know," he told him. "If you're impressed by these, you should see the mini-museum she keeps somewhere in this place. From ceiling to ceiling packed full of them."

"I can tell," Sora breathed in awe, the artist in him singing with joy. "These pieces are beautiful."

"Not all of them," Riku disagreed. "There are some rather strange contemporary pieces in there. Like that sawed in half shark encased in glass."

"A real shark?" Sora looked horrified.

"Straight from the sea. The artist, Damien Hirsch, bought it off the fisherman who caught it for 50,000."

"That's…horrible."

"It's still art. Besides, I think Ariel, or rather Mrs. Cobra-Spencer, only bought it was because it was an expensive piece," his boyfriend added casually. "They're all originals. Ariel is rather extravagant in her expenditures. It's pretty easy to see where Kairi picked up her compulsive shopping habit," he laughed.

Abruptly, a hand reached out and grabbed onto his sleeve, stopping him in his track. Riku turned around eyeing the hand, before his questioning gaze drifted to the brunet attached to it.

"Sora?"

His eyes were hidden under a curtain of dark chocolate locks, his lips set in a straight line.

"Riku," the younger boy began, his voice quiet and hesitant. "About Kairi…"

"What about her?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I…" he paused, brows furrowing. "It's just that she…" Sora seemed unable to spit it out. And with a soft sigh, the boy gave up. "Never mind," he murmured, shaking his head softly.

Riku lips dipped into a frown at his boyfriend's strange behaviour. In fact, if he thought about it, Sora had been acting strange for the better part of this week. Riku had first put it down to him struggling to come to terms with a new environment, but now, he wasn't so sure. He was about to say ask him when a flash of silver appeared in his periphery vision.

Sora immediately sensed it when Riku stiffened and followed his hard gaze down the lengthy corridor. A few newly arrived guests were also making their way up towards the ballroom. But it was easy to see what had caught his attention – the three figures right at the very end.

There was a deceptively slender man with baby blue eyes and short messy blond spikes that seemed nearly as wild and uncontrollable as his own. He seemed a little out of place and overshadowed by his two companions. On the other side was a taller, muscular dark-haired man dressed all in black. He had a cocky grin on his face, a glint of a silver stud in his ear and the barest traces of a tattoo crawling up the side of his neck. He looked strangely dangerous but welcoming at the same time.

Despite their unconventionality, it was the one in the middle that demanded the utmost attention. Tallest of the three, nearly a head taller than the blond, he was like a life force of his own. The air seemed to bend around him, like time stopped at his feet as the world watched with baited breaths, singing with cold tension. Dressed in an impeccably sharp black suit, the hints of underlying muscle whispered of strength and danger. His long silver hair, like a river of moonlight, cascaded down his back, swaying fluidly with his movements.

He was one of the most beautiful people Sora had ever seen.

But the most prominent of his striking features were those glowing green eyes. They were so eerily intelligent and cold; the reminded him of the stare of a panther playing with its prey before the inevitable final kill.

Sora shivered despite himself. Those types of eyes he knew very well.

"Fuck," Riku swore under his breath, lips set in a grim line. His gaze never wavered from the tall approaching man. "I thought he said the bastard wasn't here yet."

The beautiful man drew nearer to them, taking long even strides. He stopped but a few feet before them, towering over their heads, even over Riku's already tall stature.

A small wry smile played on the stranger's lips.

"Riku," he acknowledged, voice a deep baritone with the same velvety quality the younger silver-haired had at times.

Riku's darkened turquoise eyes narrowed as emerald pupils glowed with amusement.

"Sephiroth," he growled through his teeth after a terse pause. "When did you get here?"

"But barely a moment ago," the man called Sephiroth replied. "You seem surprised."

Sephiroth? That sounded familiar. Sora struggled to pinpoint where exactly he's heard the name and why the man's face seemed so familiar.

Suddenly it clicked.

The small hidden photograph on Riku's shelf – the one of his family. Sephiroth was his elder brother.

Sephiroth's cool gaze quickly swept over to Sora, making him feel incredibly exposed and vulnerable.

"I believe you have met my personal assistant and my body guard," he stated, not asked.

"Several times," Riku snapped back. And like an invisible switch, the younger Samuel turned off his hostility towards his brother, and turned on his charm. "It's nice to see you again Mr. Strife, Mr. Fair." He smiled amiably in turn to each.

The slender blond man returned a polite smile and a slight tip of the head. "Please, it's Cloud."

"Yeah, don't be so formal," the spiky black-haired one said good-naturedly. "Or you'll be next in line after Seph at holding the title of having the fun-loving nature of an abyss. It's a party, so lighten up, toots."

Cloud sighed and shook his head. Sephiroth just observed them.

"It's called being polite, Zack," Riku grinned. "You should try it sometime."

Zack laughed.

Sora would have smiled along with him if it wasn't for the hard gaze Sephiroth had fixated on him. Those frightfully intelligent orbs of intense smouldering green bored deep into Sora's eyes, trying to snatch wisps of his soul. He quickly let his gaze fall, unable to hold such an acute stare, inwardly shivering. All the while, the other man hadn't even blinked.

"Perhaps, Riku, you should put those manners you boast of into good use," Sephiroth's deep rumble smoothly interjected, eyes still trained on the brunet.

Riku immediately gave the taller man a seething glare, but complied nonetheless.

"Sora," he said shortly, gesturing to each as he went: "This is Zack Fair and Cloud Strife. And this," he reluctantly turned to the final of the three, a sneer tainting his tone, "is my brother, Sephiroth."

So he was right. It _was_ Riku's brother. No wonder the two looked so much alike, like snapshots of a person at various stages of his lifespan. Sephiroth would have been a splitting image of Riku at the same age.

"Hello," Sora shyly replied. He had never been good at meeting new people. He was always too intimidated by the possibility that they might not like him.

But Sephiroth, it seemed, had no such problem.

"Of course," the man drawled, lips quirked in amusement. "The 'little lamb' our prodigal son herded back with him."

"He has a name, Sephiroth," Riku warned him, clearly unamused.

"Pardon me," the elder Samuel smirked, obviously not at all. "Sora," he amended.

Riku almost rolled his eyes. He hated Sephiroth's drawling arrogance and his stupid intimidation tactics. It was bright and sunny day when Sephiroth had moved out of their home and into his own private estate back during Riku's pre-teen years.

Once again, Sephiroth changed the subject abruptly. "It does make me wonder," he feigned ignorance though the twinkle in his eye told otherwise. "How long until Mother and Father return from their trip?"

Riku picked up the sarcasm immediately. "You already know that."

"And so I do," he agreed, unabashed. "But the question is, do you?"

The younger Samuel brother knew exactly what he was hinting at. It was something he, too, had been dreading since touching down in Radiant Garden International Airport.

Fucking Sephiroth and his stupid cryptic messages.

"_Yeah._ I do." Riku's snarling affirmation only further entertained silver-haired man.

"Then perhaps it is unnecessary for me to remind you," the older brother lazily enunciated each word, savouring them as they rolled off his tongue, "that Mother and Father do not share your same sentiments for _keeping_ _lost_ _pets_."

He cocked his head slightly, gaze calmly regarding them, waiting for Riku's reaction. There was none other than the already present deadly glare.

Sephiroth merely smirked. Giving a mocking tip of the head, "Well, Alice, Nala and I will be sure to visit once Mother and Father have returned. So until then, little brother," Sephiroth said. "I have business to attend to. Pleasant meeting you, Sora."

Sephiroth swept past them strode purposefully towards the lit ballroom, his two personnel voicing goodbyes and flanked his sides. Sephiroth's exits were just as dramatic as his entrances. Always.

His obnoxious elder brother was the personified thorn cutting into Riku's side – the pinwheel needle designed to sting and curse the innocent princess. Or in this case, prince. Sephiroth knew exactly where to dig at Riku to make it hurt – his warning was completely unnecessary as Riku had already had that same situation run rampant over the stressed planes of his mind. He knew it was coming.

"Well there you have it," Riku said from beside Sora, sarcasm gnarling his words. "My lovely brother."

Sora nodded silently. At least, now he knew why Riku would choose to hide his family portrait so far back behind all the other picture frames. He obviously didn't get along with his brother.

Riku sighed in frustration. "And just when you think he could actually show compassion," he muttered quietly under his breath.

Sora turned to his companion, suddenly mindful of something else. "Riku," he asked, a little puzzled. "What did Sephiroth mean about your paren–"

A clear ringing alerted to an incoming call. It was Kairi. Seeing as they were late, Riku would bet his foot that she's calling to ask why he hasn't arrived yet to save her from her boredom.

"One second, Sora," Riku retrieved his phone, slide it open and pressed it to his ear in one fluid movement.

"Yeah?" he said into the mouthpiece. A moment of silence while the caller spoke. "We're here. In the entrance hall." He paused again. "Alright," and hung up as swiftly as he answered.

"Come on," Riku grabbed his hand, all traces of his previous frown had been wiped away by a wide sunny smile. "The others are waiting for us," he explained, and proceeded to drag a dazed Sora through the soirée.

"So were you going to ask?"

Sora thought for a moment. "Uh…I forgot."

"Silly."

.

.

"Wrong fork," Selphie whispered quietly out of the corner of her mouth, trying to be discreet but her flamboyant impersonation of James Bond sneaking around the enemy lair only making the entire situation as noticeable as possible. Even to the extent of drawing a few glances at her odd behaviour.

Sora flushed and put down the fork he held in his hand, reaching for the one next to it.

"That one's not the right one either," the green-eyed girl corrected him again as his hands hovered uncertainly above another one. "It's the one closest to the plate."

"Thanks," Sora whispered back with relief, though he was feeling completely mortified at such a simple thing as using the wrong fork. Why? Because it was so natural for almost everyone else, he simply stood out.

"No problem," she grinned kindly. "Those stupid cutlery rules are a pain, aren't they? About as useful as a trapdoor on a life boat."

Sora looked at her weirdly. "A trapdoor on a life boat?"

"Yeah. You know, because that would just defeat the purpose of a life boat. Because then, water would leak into via the trapdoor and flood and sink the lifeboat. And then the survivors in the lifeboat, provided they couldn't swim, would then drown and die. It's a metaphor, you see."

"I get it," Sora assured her. "I've never heard that one before. Someone I knew would used to say 'a snooze button on a smoke alarm'."

"Ha!" Selphie laughed. "That's pretty useless too. Like a poopie-flavoured lollypop," she added. "But I think I stole that from a movie."

Sora made a disgusted face at the thought, making Selphie choke in a very un-ladylike manner on her champagne. However, as soon as Sora's eyes suddenly darkened, Selphie also stopped smiling. Following his sightline across the long table, Selphie spied Riku. Sitting next to Kairi. But of course, what else would it be?

"You know what else is useless," she asked him, a little more seriously now. Sora briefly tore his eyes away to face her. "Seating arrangements at dinner parties. As long as everyone finds a place at the table and is served in the end, it shouldn't matter if you didn't sit where your guest card says, should it?"

The corners of Sora's lips lifted into a small smile. Glancing at the card with his name by his water glass, to the two cards propped up across the table, "Yeah," he agreed. "You're right, they really are." Turning to her, "You know, you're really nice, Selphie."

Selphie was almost taken aback by the earnest compliment. Who the hell in this day and age actually genuinely say such things without either to fish for compliments or want something in return?

"What? Did I not come across nice in the first place?"

The brunet immediately became extremely flustered. "No!" he squeaked. "That's not what I meant. Of course you came acro-"

"Whoa," the green-eyed girl laughed. "Chill, maestro. I was only kidding."

"Oh," Sora blushed.

"But seriously, Sora. Compliments like that is only going to serve to make me blush," she teased.

Even before this, Selphie had known almost immediately what was happening.

_And they called her unperceptive_, she thought with a self-satisfied smirk.

It was fairly obvious when Kairi had spent the entire week taking up Riku's time with useless, trivial things, even more so than when they used to go out. Such as only an hour earlier when she called Riku ask where he was, even though the silver-haired barely late. And now with this, it was truly a wonder that Riku, as intelligent as he was, hadn't picked it up yet.

Kairi had maintained it was a simple mistake on the part of their catering staff. That they had misplaced the guest cards wrongly at the table according to the original seating arrangements. Sora, the redhead had asserted, was_ meant_ to be placed next to Riku. But for some strange reason, the brunet's name card had mysteriously appeared on the opposite side of the table, while Riku and hers were placed side by side, boxed in by the other guests. Tidus suggested that maybe he should ask the Braskas to move down a seat so Sora could be next to his date, but Kairi held that it was too late. The guests had already seated and it would be improper to move them for such a small thing, as it would involve moving the entire length of their side of the long hall-length dinner table.

And logically, Kairi was speaking the truth. But Selphie knew better. After all, Selphie had seen many of the manipulations and cruelties Kairi was capable of when she felt threatened in any sense of the word.

"What you're doing is kind of mean, Kairi," Selphie said quietly in the redhead's ear after dinner had ended and the guests retired to the other rooms for socialising and live entertainment.

Kairi paused in what she was doing and calmly turned her head to face the brunette girl. Her gaze was still and unreadable. "And what am I doing?"

"Trying to break up Riku and Sora," Selphie responded matter-of-factly. "Riku actually seems really happy with him, you know. You shouldn't be interfering with his love life."

Kairi didn't show any sign of recognition or response that she heard her.

"Kairi," the brunette continued in a low whisper. "If you ask me, you've already been down that road with Riku. _Very_ far down. Don't you think it's time to let it go? To move on?–"

"_Don't!_" Kairi's furious hiss startled Selphie into clamping her mouth shut. The redhead's dark blue eyes glowed lividly,"talk about that night like you know _anything _about what really happened. Don't assume you understand even a slight part of it."

"Maybe you should just tell me," the green-eyed girl baited her. "It's easier than us guessing."

But Kairi's rage had already disappeared as abruptly as it came, like candle snuffed out by a breath. Her calm composure was locked back into place.

Kairi turned and regarded Selphie coolly, the length of her stare made Selphie want to fidget uncomfortable, if only to disrupt the unbreathable tension. The redhead had never used her intimidation on her before, and now she realised why so many were reluctant to go up against Kairi Spencer. Those eyes, they were really very scary.

"I don't ever recall asking for your opinion," the socialite remarked. "Perhaps you should also stop interfering with other people's personal lives, Selphie." Kairi turned back to the party. "You don't want to be a hypocrite, do you?"

Selphie felt taken aback. Since when did Kairi become so cruel to her _own friends_? Especially when she had the redhead girl's best interest at heart.

The fawn-haired teen decided to leave Kairi to her brooding. Perhaps in time she's realise what a fool she was being. But Selphie highly doubted that.

It seemed sometimes Riku brought out the best in Kairi. But other times, he brought out the worst.

.

.

_Gosh_, Sora didn't feel so well.

Duck liver, snails and congealed pig blood tended to do that to your stomach.

But they had such pretty names. Names you'd never pick for what the dish was _actually_ made out of. Sora swore it was all a conspiracy. Even bigger than the Humpty Dumpty conspiracy where the King's horses and men just _happened_ to not be able to put him back together again. For some unknown reason, the chefs were plotting against him.

'_Foie Gras'_ Selphie had called it. At least he thinks that was what she said.

It was even served so beautifully.

The smartly dressed waiters had entered in a perfect line, placing and replacing their food with the next dish on the course menu. Sora had been almost salivating when the waiter placed an absolutely ravishingly delicious-smelling dish down in front of him. It was a few pieces of tenderly browned slices of…something…arranged neatly at the centre of the large square black plate, drizzled with a light brown sauce and garnished rosemary and some other herbs Sora had never seen before, let alone know the name of. Granted, it was a very small dish for such a large plate, but he had figured that restricting the portions was how they could go through all those courses on the menu without their stomaches exploding from an overload of fancy haute cuisine (Selphie's words).

Sora had hardly cared anyway; he was so hungry. In a flash, a knife and fork were tightly grasped in his hands (the right ones this time, mind you) and he was already cutting off a piece of the meat and shovelling it in his mouth. It had had a strangely chewy consistency, but he quite liked it. It was lovely and tender and the sauce complimented the taste very well. Sora had been about to go in for seconds when Selphie spoke those fateful words.

"How's the liver?" she had asked casually. "You certainly seem to be enjoying it."

Well _that_ had certainly made Sora pause in his beastly attack of the meat. "What?" he had asked dumbfounded, suddenly the taste of the dish was turning sour in his mouth. "S-say what now?"

"I asked you how the liver was," she had repeated, gesturing to the plate in front of him, unaware of his worsening thoughts. "I'm a vegetarian, you know. So I can't eat it."

"W-" the words seemed to stick to the sides of his mouth. "What do you mean duck's liver?" Sora had swallowed. "I thought you said it was called…um…Fwaa Graa."

"It is," the brunette had explained. "It's a classic French dish of goose liver marinated in cognac." At Sora's sudden pale face, his fork cluttering to the table, Selphie suddenly realised what had happened. After all, there was a reason delicacies were called delicacies and why acquired tastes weren't for everybody.

"You…didn't know it was goose liver, did you?" she finally guessed.

Sora shook his head numbly.

Selphie pulled a guilty face. Muttering under her voice, speaking to herself, "I guess you also shouldn't have had the escargot or black pudding."

Sora hadn't even _wanted_ to know what those were.

"If it makes you feel better, everyone tells me they all just taste like chicken. So it's not like they taste gross or anything."

Yeah. Chicken. Chicken marinated in _intestines_.

And now Sora was struggling to find the nearest toilet so he could gain some of his composure or to throw up if he needed to. After all, those glossy mirror-like floors and beautiful traditional carpets were not made to be vomit containers.

And still, he lied to himself about the other reason, the more prevalent reason as to why he chose to run out of the ballroom, leaving all the happily chatting people behind, in search of a bathroom he didn't _really _need.

He was just sick of seeing them being so perfect around each other, for each other.

.

.

Kairi looked unimpressed. A bad sign. The muscular redhead blitzball captain turned on a little more of his charm.

"Did I ever tell ya tha' ya the _most_ beautiful girl I know? Not t' mention the most intelligent, witty, determined…"

Completely tuned out of what he was actually saying, Kairi sneered at Wakka's pathetic attempts to talk his way out of this.

"Ya know wha'?" his paused, countenance suddenly serious, "I'm just goin' ta say it. I think I love you, Kairi," he slowly leaned in with smouldering eyes, unconsciously licking his lips.

"Oh my _god_!" the redhead sputtered in frustration, vehemently pushing the blitzball player away, ignoring Selphie's laughter. "I can't believe you would get _this _high at _my mother's _dinner function. This is getting way out of control, Wakka!"

"Wha'?" the other teen cried, countenance doing a complete one-eighty from the seducing one only a second ago, "O' course I'm not fuckin' high! I'm deeply offended by your suggestion, ya?"

One look into Wakka's rapidly dilating, unfocused pupils and even a four year old would be able to tell he was lying. "I can practically _smell_ the powder on you nostril, you junkie," she hissed.

Wakka brown eyes widened comically and immediately began wiping his nostrils in a hazardous jerking manner, completely missing the fact that Kairi didn't mean it literally. He suddenly stopped and brought his hand up to his face, intently inspecting his fingers like an old man without his glasses would squint at the morning paper. After a long while, he suddenly smiled and let out a relieved chuckle.

"Wha' you _talkin'_ about," Wakka laughed. "There's nothin' on my face, Kairi. Stop being such a kidder, girl. Ya _so_ funny. Kairi, ya know you're the _funniest_ person I know, ya?"

Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Next time, wait until _after_ we leave the house, _ya?_" She threw back at him mockingly. "Now try not to do anything stupid. We'll leave soon enough, okay?"

Kairi quickly fixed his slightly crooked tie and straightened his hair, unconsciously playing of a girlfriend though it was not at all her intention. What it _did_ earn her were some poisonous glares from the two model-esque girls, one blond and one brunette, who were hung off Wakka's arm like leeches only moments earlier.

_Who did they think they were, showing such hostility and disrespect towards her? Don't those lower-class losers realise they were guests in _her_ home?_

Speaking loud enough for the two females to hear, and accompanied with a sly side glance at them to certify that it _was_ them she was talking about, "Alright. Behave now, Wakka, and keep yourself and any _whore_ you may come across under control."

Wakka suddenly remembered the two girls he was pawing. "Oh, I'll keep 'em _under control_, alright." And he left with a sly grin, escorting them out of the ballroom, in search of somewhere more private.

"Just not in _my _room," Kairi called after him, before lightly rolled her deep blue eyes and turning back to Riku and Selphie and some of their other friends. "That man-whore," she muttered fondly under her breath.

A gentle bump on her shoulder startled her into looking up. "I guess some things don't change, do they," came Riku's amused whisper from her left, before he returned his attention to the conversation at hand. Kairi felt so much better after seeing his calm smile.

.

.

Well it definitely wasn't the bathroom. Bathrooms usually don't have expensive carpeting and a king-size four-poster bed and various other furniture and items around the room that look like they could feed an entire family for a full month. Each.

It seems Kairi's manor was just as enormous, windy and confusing as Riku's. Sora wondered if all the manors of these upper-society families were like this.

He safely concluded 'yes'.

In his search to find the bathroom, it seems Sora had stumbled into an extravagantly lavished bedroom. And on look at the photos along the wall and desks, the brunet realised it wasn't just anyone's room. It was Kairi's room.

Sora immediately berated himself at the surge of uneasiness and jealousy he felt. It was ridiculous. Kairi had done nothing wrong; it was all just in his stupid insecure head. Besides, Riku loved him.

Didn't he?

Not taking that thought any further, Sora quietly padded across the carpet and closer to the walls, where along it hung photos and pictures and posters. He inspected them silently – a few famous faces of celebrities, some paintings and sketches (one particularly caught his attention – an ink drawing of an abstract rose with its petals withering away. It dated and signed with a _K. Spencer._ Who knew Kairi was such an artist. Her mother's art fascination must have been genetic.) and photos of her friends. They were basically identical to the set of photo's Riku had all over his room, but on closer inspection, there were simply more of Riku and Kairi, either smiling happily together or pulling crazy faces surrounded by friends. Sora pushed down a strange wallowing feeling. After all, they were best friends long before he entered the picture.

Glancing around over his shoulder, Sora suddenly felt paranoid at being caught in there. He knew he should stop what he was doing and leave before he invaded more of Kairi's privacy, but something urged him to stay. He wanted to know more about her, and thereby, help him know more about Riku.

Even after all these months, Sora, sadly, still could not say he knew much about Riku at all. Well, that was a lie. Sora _knew_ Riku – knew him deep down like the back of his hand. But all the events that led to develop his boyfriend's personality and habits and other idiosyncrasies, he was kept completely in the dark. Riku rarely talked about his past and Sora never asked.

It was the little things he noticed amongst Kairi's possessions that really did it. Like how Riku's favourite band, _Sebastian and the Atlantica Banshees_, also had a large, well-stocked proportion on Kairi's CD and records rack. Or the chain of Christmas and birthday cards from close friends hung down in an artistic display on a sheet of wire.

Sora tentatively reached forward to grab a hold of a simple, sophisticated one where he could see Riku's handwriting on its interior. He wasn't _really_ sure he wanted to know what Riku had written, but so desperately wanted to know at the same time. Thankfully, the decision was made for him when he accidentally felt something knock to the floor from Kairi's desk.

Sora involuntarily took a step back and looked down. It was a beautiful dark blue ring box encased with velvet – so simple and plain in its design, yet so stunningly masterful. But it was what was inside the open box which intrigued Sora the most. Glinting like a lighthouse beam out to the dark open sea, a beautiful diamond ring rested among black silk. The band was a strange shade of white gold that entwined so intricately around the slightly pink-tinged diamond, cut in the shape of a tear drop.

Sora bent down to pick it up and put it back onto Kairi's desk, but hesitated. He felt entirely unworthy to touch such beautiful things, having never seen such refined objects before. His life was a far cry from what he had seen in Radiant Garden, and this ring was only another reminder of the vast gap between his and Riku's life.

However, before his fingers could touch the velvet covering, Sora sharply turned his head in fear. He could hear rapid footsteps headed straight for this room from down the corridor.

.

.

Riku was getting nervous. Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with his much-missed friends, it was just…where did Sora go?

The younger boy seemed to have disappeared right after dinner. Riku frowned when he realised he didn't know when exactly his little brunet had left, or where he had gone to. Did he really pay so little attention to Sora? It certainly wasn't like him. It just, the aqua-eyed teen had completely forgotten how much attention and participation Kairi required at all times, not that he minded, mind you. She _was_ his best friend.

And especially since that stupid dinner table placement mix up, Riku found it hard to keep tabs on Sora. The last he had seen of his boyfriend, he was happily chatting to Selphie, so Riku just assumed Sora was having a good time. But now, looking across the chatting socialites to where Selphie was talking to some good-looking boys and Sora was nowhere to be seen, he felt much less certain.

"Tidus."

The blond stopped his conversation with Scarlet, a girl from Tidus' economics class whose family invested stringing into Riku's family's company, and made a sound of acknowledgement.

"Have you seen Sora?"

Tidus wrinkled his eyebrows. "No," he replied slowly. "I thought _you _would know where he'd be. I think I saw him with Selphie earlier."

"Well he's not there anymore," Riku frowned, and Tidus shrugged.

"So, who exactly_ is_ Sora anyway?" the Scarlet interjected with a sly glint in her eye that told him she had heard the all the stories and knew exactly who he was to him. Manipulative. Now Riku remembered why he dropped the beautiful blond girl after only a few weeks.

Riku ignored her and instead tried to think of where Sora could be. After all, how much trouble could the soft-spoken boy possibly get into in merely an hour?

.

.

_Oh No! What to do?_

If he was caught there in Kairi's room, of _all _rooms, what would they all think? What would Riku think? That he was there snooping through the hostess' and ex-girfriend's bedroom, assessing personal photographs and touching expensive rings? Like a stalker? Or an insane jealous lover?

Sora's breathing increased sharply and his heart rate went through the roof and he frantically looked around the room for places to hide. For such a large space, there weren't a lot of places for a boy lost on the way to the bathroom to conceal himself.

In the walk in closet? _No, it's on the other side and they'll see me._

Under the bed? _No, too obvious._

Behind the ornamental vase on the pedestal? _So they can see a quivering mass of spiky hair over the top? _

Behind the curtains? _Is your brain even turned on today, Sora?_

Looking to his right, Sora saw an open door. _Of course!_ The bathroom.

Making a quick dash over to the bathroom as silently as he could to keep his shoes shuffling on the carpet or polished floor surfaces, Sora threw himself into the large en-suite, thanking God for inventing private bathrooms.

Sora held his breath as his eyes adjusted to the dimmed lighting of the en-suite. He could barely make out the large pristine Jacuzzi tub and marble-topped vanity and sink. He was careful to sit in the shadow just by the door, and not in the light streaming from the bedroom as footsteps stepped into the other room.

"Hm?" He could hear the intruding person, a woman, making a surprised sound.

Sora slowly edged himself to the edge of the door frame until half a brilliant blue eye peeked out.

It was a maid, and not Kairi herself, which is what he had feared. Sora let out a small sigh of relief at that thought.

The maid crossed the room, and pulled shut the long silky curtains and straightened the sheets on the bed. She then did another quick scan of the room before shrugging to herself. Flicking the lights off and closing the door softly behind her, she left as quickly as she came.

And the world plunged into darkness.

_Dark._

Sora couldn't see a thing – the curtains were pulled shut and the door closed tightly, ejecting all light.

_His heart sped up_.

If he waved his hand out in front of his face, he couldn't even detect the movement.

_His breath turned ragged and detached._

Darkness. He hated the dark. The worst things happened when the world was deprived of light.

_What was that?_

Did he just hear something? Or was it his imagination playing up again?

_A shiver tore through his body._

Gasp. Did something just move? Out of the corner of his eye?

_A choked whimper escaped his lips_.

Eyes. Eyes were suddenly everywhere. Beady, yellow and evil. Piercing right through to his very soul, coldly stopping his heart.

_His small body trembled with fear._

Shrieks and cackles resounded in his ear, fading in and out of the room. Whispers of evil caressed him neck like the tip of a blade.

_Frightened gasps sounded from him until they began escalating._

Bodiless shadows moved in and out of the darkness, getting closer with every crucial second.

_Don't! Stop! PLEASE!_

And closer, and closer.

_GO-AWAY-ORI'LLSCR– _

A terrified scream tore from his throat as Sora lost all sense of time and place. All he could see around him was a sea of monsters with horrifying gleaming yellow pupils and monstrous voices. And that familiar constricting feeling began rising in his chest.

…_Please… _

…_Just leave me alone…_

.


	8. Pt I, 8: Things That Move in the Dark

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

___By: sillysunshowers_

.

**.: PART I: Chapter 8 – Things That Move in the Dark :.**

.

Women.

"_Wa-_kkaaa," came the dreaded feminine whine. "Come on, Wakka. Let's make this a real party!"

So fucking demanding.

"Honey," he cooed to the well-endowed blonde. "If I had any, don' ya think I'd have brought it out already?"

"I think you're just being selfish," the gorgeous long-legged brunette pouted on his other side. "I know you have some on you, baby," she latched onto his arm, and bit her lip seductively. "Come on, share."

Wakka laughingly swatted her curious hands away as they clumsily fumbled in his pockets, but only after a moment as they repeatedly brushed against his hardening groin.

"I'm sure I can make it fun fo' you withou' blow, _baby_," he whispered back just as seductively. "Besides, ya already snorted a line each. You don' wanna OD now, do ya?"

"Humph," the blonde, God knows her name, flopped down back against the pillow with an irritable noise. "I'm not new to this, Wakka. I need more than that tiny little line."

The brunette, who a moment ago was rubbing her heavenly chest against him, paused and withdrew herself. Following her friend's lead, she quickly added, "Yeah, Wakka. Surely you can get some more. Come on." The seductress in her reappeared, and purred, "I want to _enjoy_ my time with the great blitzball captain, Wakka Kane II."

What a way to stroke the ego. Man, this girl and her mouth, he let out a throaty chuckle. He couldn't wait to get her into between the sheets.

"Alrigh'. Only since ya asked so nicely." He leaned in and gave her a long kiss, enjoying the feel of her tongue against his lips and the soft expanse of her creamy thigh. Hot. "You and ya friend stay _righ' here_."

If this was what they call playing right into a girl's hands, then he quite liked being the proverbial putty. After all, it seems that the putty gets a fair amount of action.

Wakka grudgingly pulled his built body off the bed and made his way towards the door. It was such a shame to leave such a hot girl looking so deliciously dishevelled, and her equally hot friend so promising. But it seems certain _items_ must be procured before he could get what he wanted.

Like he said. Women. So fucking demanding.

But he guessed they had a point. He took his original line less than an hour ago and was pretty much on the verge of coming down. That meant a headache was fast in the post. Which was a never good thing.

The redhead made his way down the hall. He didn't have anymore gear of any kind on him, and he didn't know if anyone at the party did. Asking a random might result in all the prominent families knowing his dirty secret. And that can't be good for life in general, he shook his head.

Yuffie was too careful to bring any with her, and Kairi would surely wait till after they've left the party. Besides, she didn't really go for the hard stuff anymore. Selphie rarely took anything, which is really a blessing as she was as hyper as it is, while Tidus was their resident golden "all-natural high-on-life" boy that he's always been. And Riku? Well, nothing's really certain about Riku anymore.

Wakka could have asked Leon, but it was apparent at dinner table that Leon did not come. As a matter of fact, people rarely saw Leon around these days. He seemed to be enjoying a new pastime of randomly disappearing off the face of the earth. Yuffie guessed that he just hated having to accept Riku back into the group with barely a slap on the wrist and was implementing a silent protest. While such theory might be true to some degree, Wakka was sure there was something more. It's just no one knew what that something was yet.

"Oh!" A spark suddenly lit up in his mind. That's right! Kairi might still have some left over in her room. If not, she probably _would_ have some pills, or even weed. Anything was good, really. His redhead friend may only take the occasional lighter party drugs _now_, but there was a time when she drowned in much harder stuff.

But that was back in her self-destructive period, which, thank God, was now over. It wasn't a particularly pleasant time for anyone and something most of them wanted to forget. Man, was Wakka and the gang ever so glad the day Kairi finally took control of her life and her grief and kicked her dependency.

Oh well. No point dawdling on the past. It was really time to…

"Focus on tha presen' predicament," he grinned to himself.

Now. Where did Kairi keep that lovely little babushka doll set, which held something so much more exciting inside than that let-down final midget doll inside all the outer babushka shells?

His footsteps slowly became more and more coordinated and shuffled less and less against the rich carpet on polished floors. His sight became sharper and more focused as the seconds passed by, and the haze suffocating his brain slowly cleared with each step.

And then came the headache. In dull waves, pulsing like a blunt butcher's knife turned vibrator.

"Augh!" Wakka groaned and put a hand over his head, sighing. Fucking hell, coming down was the fucking worst. Where the hell in this shit-house rabbit-hole labyrinth was Kairi's room when you bloody needed it? Well, he knew he was close. But honestly!

Suddenly the redhead stumbled a little, barely catching himself lest he fell flat on his face.

Did he imagine it? Maybe. After all he was prone to a few mild hallucinations here and there while on cocaine. But that had seemed really real.

As the distant sounds of music and voices settled back like a warm blanket around him, Wakka swore he heard someone screaming. And not a joking laughing screaming, or the good fucked-hard kind of screaming. But _real_ screaming. Like of pain and terror.

There! There it was again, this time more audible than the last.

Now focused brown eyes snapped to the direction it was coming from. What the hell was going on? Was he somehow caught in a bad trip? But how would that explain his head slowly clearing of the drug's effects?

No. This was real. In real time and in the real world, without any magic weaved by coke-induced hallucinations.

Ignoring the despicable headache, Wakka quickly ran towards the source of the cries and soon found himself flying into a familiar setting. The screams grew louder and louder, clearer and clearer, as he burst through Kairi's door. It was completely dark, making the horrific noises all the more ominous. Quickly flicking on the light, Wakka frantically looked around the room for any signs of disturbances.

Turning his head sharply to the right, the incoherent cries were flying out from Kairi's en-suite bathroom.

Now that he was this close to the source, Wakka wasn't feeling so brave anymore. His headache had gotten worse and he wasn't even sure his judgement was fully clear, now that he had found himself running headlong into a potentially dangerous scene. Why couldn't it had been as simple as coming into Kairi's room, taking what he needed, then leaving for those two hot girls who eagerly awaited his return?

Curse his Good Samaritan personality.

Hesitantly, the muscular redhead slowly made his way towards the bathroom, heart pounding so wildly in his chest he could hardly breathe. His confidence was at an all time low – all those strength and endurance training for blitzball really lost all their value in the face of fear.

"Please! Leave…._leave…_leav-"

Sobbing. A howl.

"Get the fuck _away from me_!"

Harsh breathing.

Wakka held his breath as he peered inconspicuously into the bathroom. Of all the terrifying scenes he imagined in his head, what lay beyond his chocolate gaze was no less strange.

It was Riku's little brunet. The sweet soft-spoken wide-eyed boy he had met on several occasions earlier was rocking back and forth on the cold tiled floor, emitting the most heart-wrenching cries he'd ever heard. Tears streamed down his normally supple rosy cheeks, and his expensive attire and hair was even more dishevelled to the point of being ragged.

"Uh," the redhead finally found his voice, albeit shakily. "Sora?"

The boy didn't answer. His eyes were downcast while one hand hugged his knee like a frightened child left alone in the house at night, and the other hand clawed at the side of his head, pulling harshly at locks of hair.

Flicking on the lights, a quick scan around the room told him it was completely empty. What the hell? Cautiously approaching the younger boy, Wakka tried again. "Sora?" he called gently. "Are ya alrigh', brudda?"

Wakka slowly and carefully reached with one steady hand out to the boy, hoping that the human contact would bring him out of his delirium.

But then something happened he hadn't anticipated.

_Wack! _

His outstretched hand was brutally smacked away, the sheer force sending him stumbling back awkwardly. Nursing a throbbing hand, the normally-boisterous teen looked up, and swallowed a gasp.

Sora's eyes. They were unlike anything he had ever seen. They were so utterly _furious._ So angry they could send a tornado scampering away with it's tale between its legs.

A shadow cast over the brunet's eyes, making those ocean-blue irises seem even darker than the depths of a black hole. Baring his teeth like a savage animal, Sora snarled viciously. "Fuck off!"

_What?_

"Wha'?" he accidentally repeated aloud. "Sora? What's wrong?" Since when did shy little Sora curse like a drunken sailor? "I's me. Wakka. Ya remember me, righ'? Riku's friend?"

Sora just glared hatefully at him, shaking in fury. Then, as quickly as it came, it was switched off again, as if he was being controlled by a remote.

"R-riku?" he said breathlessly in the same voice that was so hostile only a second ago.

"Ya, Riku's friend," Wakka repeated.

Sora's soulful blue eyes, now returned to normal, locked with Wakka's and frowned, as if unsure of himself. "Wakka?"

Wakka let out a relieved smile. "Ya. I's me, Wakka."

The younger teen let out a sound of relief. "Oh," he said softly and looked to the floor.

Now that Sora was no longer possessed by a fiendish spirit, Wakka once again deigned it safe to step closer to the brunet. The blitzball player kneeled down in front of the now unmoving boy and gingerly rubbed his back.

"Wha's wrong, Sora," he whispered soothingly. "Wha's got ya so worked up? Anythin' I can do, you let me know, ya?"

The brunet trembled. "T-there's nothing you can do," he whispered in a broken voice. "There's nothing anyone can do. How do you fight against darkness and shadows? They come when they please and do what they want…and I can't do anything."

Completely unaware of his surroundings, Sora stared, deflated, at his shaking hands through a curtain of wet eyelashes until they resembled nothing more than a blur of colours. He took a breath, which felt so wet and sodden in his lungs he might as well have been drowning.

"I hate their stares so _so _much. And I thought that it would be over. I just didn't think those horrible yellow eyes would follow me all the way here from Destiny Island and now," he heaved a sob, "I don't know what do-o…" he choked.

"There, there," Wakka said awkwardly. He didn't get a single thing Sora had just said. They seemed to be incoherent mumbles of a mentally unsound person, like how you'd have to watch the original movie to understand these words from the sequel. "Come on. Let's get ya cleaned up, brudda, and we'll go downstairs ta find tha others. Ya?"

Sora was silent for a moment, then he wearily nodded his head.

Wakka helped the smaller boy to the sink, watching him splash water on his face and helped him straighten his clothes and hair.

"Are ya sure ya okay?" he asked once more as they walked back to the grand ballroom.

"Yeah," Sora nodded, more composed now. "I'm okay, thanks."

Despite the calm state of mind he tried to project, the brunet looked up at his saviour out of the corner of his eye and knew before he saw it, the suspicion swimming in those coffee pupils. "Um," he quickly said. "It's just…I get panic attacks every now and then, you know. They come and go. Don't know why!" he shrugged with a helpless smile.

Wakka remained completely unconvinced at that rehearsed line. It was spoken far too hurriedly to actually be true. But nevertheless, "Okay," he replied slowly, and didn't inquire any further.

As they approached the large hall, Sora suddenly halted in his step. Of all things he wanted to see at that moment, Riku smiling while conversing with Kairi and some other old friends of the both of theirs was really not it. A sense a dread rose in his throat, and this time, Sora didn't have the strength to push it away.

"Um…"

Wakka looked back questioningly at why the shorter boy stopped.

"Um…I think I might just step outside. To get some fresh air."

Wakka contemplated him. "Are ya sure you'll be okay?" he said again at length.

"Fine," Sora sent him a tired smile. "Um…do you reckon you could maybe not tell anybody about this? It's really okay. I'm used to it."

Wakka still looked unconvinced, but nevertheless grudgingly agreed. Hey, it was _his _life. "Okay…"

Sora smiled in relief. "Thanks, Wakka. And thanks for before. You're a nice guy."

"Dun' mention it," the redhead teen started to reply, but the brunet's back was already facing him and rapidly moving away.

.

.

Once again, Riku found himself wondering where Sora was; if he was enjoying himself. He had this terrible prickly sense eating away at his stomach which couldn't be ignored any longer. Riku never _did_ believe in the supernatural, but his sixth sense has never let him down.

Especially on the island. And it wasn't going to now.

"Riku," Kairi frowned.

Riku's attention was sharply jerked back to her. What were they talking about? Oh yes. The after-party festivities.

"So you promise you're going to come out tonight with us afterwards, right? For old times sake?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "It would have to depend on how much Sora feels up to it."

He looked around quickly for his boyfriend again, completely unaware of the darkening of his best friend's elegant features.

"I didn't take you two to be such a boring married couple."

Riku grinned wryly. "Ouch, Kairi. The claws are out tonight."

Kairi shrugged. "Whatever. You'll be the one missing out. After all, Yuffie managed to secure us all VIP entry, thanks to Vincent's numerous connections."

Riku thought for a moment. "Alright," he finally smiled. "For old time's sake then."

Kairi's countenance immediately lit up brilliantly, and the emerald-eyed boy felt pleasure to be the cause.

"Speaking of old times," she grinned cheekily. "My mother asked about you."

Riku laughed. "Really? To be honest, I thought Ariel would've hired an entire army to barricade me from the house, let alone invite me to her party. Guess I underestimated her. Your mother seems to be a lot more forgiving than mine."

"Well, runs in the family," Kairi jokingly boasted. "To tell the truth, my mother _was_ initially furious with you, but I know she and Jafar will still be pleased to see you again."

"Oh yeah?" the younger Samuel looked amused.

"Yeah. I guess…they just want it to be like the way it was before…you know?" She looked up at him with expectant blue eyes.

Riku's set his jaw as his lips pursed until they were two thin white lines.

Yeah he _did _know. He knew all too well how those crazy old fuckers took pride in controlling and destroying their offspring's lives for materialistic and ambitious reasons. Not this time. Not while his heart belonged to Sora.

Speaking of which…

Looking around, the younger teen was nowhere to be found. Not even a glimpse of those gorgeous electric blue eyes could be seen. Riku noticed on the other side of the hall, Selphie was laughing animatedly with Tidus and Yuffie, while Wakka seemed to sulk. And Sora? He was clearly not among them.

Riku's hand tightened around his flute of expensive champagne.

"Have you seen Sora?" he abruptly asked, not bothering to acknowledge he hadn't at all answered Kairi's implicit question.

Kairi paused in surprise. Her eyes held something he couldn't figure out. "No," she finally answered. "I've been with you the entire night."

Yes she has. And Sora was all alone at some massive party where he knew no one. Maybe it was a mistake to bring the brunet here, or even go himself.

With guilt now ebbing away in his chest, Riku turned away. "I'm going to go find him."

Kairi quickly excused herself from the couple they had been talking to, who were business acquaintances of both their parents', and hurriedly trailed after Riku, holding her flute awkwardly.

"I'm sure he's fine," she was saying to him. "He's probably enjoying himself meeting new people."

"You don't know Sora," Riku responded, not turning around or stopping in his stride. "Big crowds like this tend to make him uncomfortable. I can't believe I forgot that."

Before Kairi could make a rebuttal, Riku had reached the group across the hall.

"Hey!" Selphie's apple-green eyes lit in delight. "We were just talking about how Wakka needs find better choices in girls. See those two sluts over there–"

But the silver-haired boy interrupted her with desperation. "Have you seen Sora?"

Selphie paused, looking at him strangely. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"I saw him with you last."

"Well, we _were _eating, but then–"

"Riku."

"Hang on a minute, Wakka," he interrupted before the fiery-haired blitzball captain could say anything more. "What were you going say, Selph?"

Selphie quickly snapped her attention back to him, noting the serious look in her silver-haired friend's eyes.

"I was just going to say that he left for the bathroom after I told him the _foie gras _was just a fancy name for liver. I _was _going to follow him to see if he was okay, but then this cute guy asked if I could pass the salt. And…yeah…" She bit her lip and took a guilty sip of her champagne.

"Fuck," Riku cursed under his breath. Kairi's home was huge. Almost as big as his own. If Sora could barely find his way around Hollow Bastion after being there for close to a month, there really wasn't a chance he wouldn't get lost in something as big and foreign as Cobra Mansion.

"Tha's what I wanted ta tell ya," Wakka interjected in a brazen tone with a strange look on his face. "Tha' boy of yours is fucking crazy, brudda,"

Riku turned to him questioningly.

"Found him sittin' alone in tha dark in Kairi's bathroom," Kairi brows furrowed at this, "screamin' bloody murder like a fuckin' banshee. I thought maybe there was something wrong, like attacking him or some thin'. But there was nothing out o' the ordinary in tha ensuite, ya? Nothin' at all! Fucking strange, don't ya think?"

Riku ignored his last comment. "Where is he now?"

"Outside somewhere. I dunno."

"You left him _alone_," the silver-haired growled through his gritted teeth, eyes narrowing.

"Whao," Wakka held up a placating hand. "He wanted ta be left alone, brudda? Not _my_ problem ta question him."

"And you didn't think to fucking tell me."

"Once again, ya boy's wishes. I think he pro'lly didn't want to disturb ya night."

_Sora. Always the selfless one._

Wordlessly, Riku turned on his heels and briskly strode towards the end of the hall, the way to the back garden. The whole way he berated himself mentally, furious for leaving Sora alone when he _knew_ the kinds of things the younger boy had been through.

Kairi immediately ran after him and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. "Riku–"

"_No_, Kairi," his aquamarine eyes flashed as he shook her hand off. Kairi recoiled as if burned, but Riku could barely notice. "Not now. Sora needs me." The silver-haired turned away again. "I have to go."

As Riku's departing back hurried through the fancy masses, the remaining four friends looked at each other silently, mulling over the strange reaction Riku just exhibited and to the even stranger event Wakka had described.

They each knew that each other were thinking the exact same thing. It seemed the more they tried to delve into it, the more they encountered the roadblocks. And they wondered, whether this mysterious would ever end up being solved.

.

.

He looked like a fallen angel in the ribbons of light streaming through the large glass panes. So beautiful and melancholy and overall _so_ _sad_. It broke Riku's heart.

Suddenly, his blue orbs spun to his direction as the brunet heard Riku's light footsteps entering the well-lit garden.

"Who's there," Sora's voice was suspicious, but still beautiful to listen to.

"It's just me, Sora," he answered softly.

The younger boy paused, tense, then slowly softened in posture. "Riku?"

"Yeah." Riku emerged from the door with an apologetic smile and within a few long strides, he finally had his beloved in his arms. "I'm sorry I left you," he whispered into those soft chestnut locks.

"It's okay, Riku," he felt Sora relax against him, taking a deep breath of his shirt. "You had to lots of catching up to do."

"It's not an excuse, Sora," Riku's eyes hardened. "I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."

His boyfriend said nothing in response. Instead, his clutch around the older boy's midriff became tighter, as Sora burrowed himself as far as humanly possible into his chest. And slowly, Riku felt heartbreaking shivers run through Sora's body, like the waves of regret that currently splashed through Riku's mind.

"Sora," he reluctantly pulled away. "Tell me what happened." Riku held the brunet at arms length, looking desperately into those scared blue eyes, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into his arms. If Wakka's story was anything to go by, then…

"Riku," Sora let out a shaky breath, so _so_ glad to see his silver-haired boyfriend's face again. "I was going to the bathroom," he explained brokenly. "And I got _lost_. This place is t-too big."

"I know, baby," Riku whispered in a soft comforting manner.

"I-I went the wrong way and accidentally went into Kairi's room and then the maid came in and I was really _scared,_" the brunet looked at him imploringly. "So I hid and she didn't kn-know I was there," his voice unwittingly began increasing in volume, eyes falling into the stormy depths of madness, "and she turned off the-lights-and-theroompl–"

"Plunged into darkness," Riku finished for him, understanding finally dawning.

Riku pulled his young shaken lover into his arms, burying his nose deep into the smaller boy's soft neck.

"Sora," he whispered, knowing the brunet would be listening. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. We are far far away from all that now. It's over."

Sora remained silent against his chest just listening to the calm thuds of Riku's heart beat contrasting against the wild chaotic hammering of his own. After a long still pause, he finally answered, voice muffled against Riku's shirt.

"I know," he said quietly. "I just can't help it sometimes."

"Do you want to go home now?"

Sora nodded. He thought Riku would never ask.

"Alright." Retrieving his sleek phone from his jacket pocket, Riku called their chauffer to be ready and waiting. "Come on," the silver-haired gently pulled Sora forward a few steps, guiding him back to the brightly lit manor. "Let's go home."

.

.

Kairi saw everything.

From the first look between the two, to when Riku wrapped his arms around the other boy, to now as they seem to be getting ready to leave. She didn't know what they were whispering into each other's ear, other than that it was enough to prompt Riku to break his promise to her that he would spend time with them after the dinner-party.

_Well, what does it matter that one more of his promises were broken,_ the cynical side of her remarked cruelly. _It's not like it hasn't happened before. Compared to that, I'd say you'd got of pretty lightly._

Kairi refused to listen.

_Refuse to listen, huh? Oh I'll make you listen. You need to hear it because you don't seem to understand that Riku simply loves him more than he…ever…loved…you. And you know it–"_

"Shut up!" she hissed, hand clenching the door handle so tightly they turned white.

"What? I didn't say anything."

Kairi turned around in surprise. Selphie bounced up to her with a strange smile. "Heya," she greeted.

"Selphie," the redhead acknowledged, before a frown darkened her lips. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

"Um…uh…no?" the bubbly brunette skilfully (read: terribly, obviously, awkwardly) lied.

Kairi's eyes darkened. "I'm not a child, Selphie. I'm fine. You don't need to follow me to make sure I'm okay or anything."

"Oh no, of course not," Selphie shook her head so vigorously it reminded Kairi of a wet puppy shaking itself dry. "I was just…uh…going to the bathroom."

Kairi lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "Bathroom's that way, darling." She pointed in the direction they had come.

"Yeah I know," Selphie quickly said. "I just…wanted to see the rose garden first!"

Ha!

Oh, Selphie. How is it you can shield yourself from this stuffy rigid society? Selphie could be so frustratingly counted on to say exactly the wrong things at the wrong time.

"So anyway," the lime-green eyed girl continued. "I think we're about to leave. The guys are getting a little bored and Vincent is all but hauling Yuffie over his shoulder and dragging her away like a oversexed Neanderthal. And Wakka? Well, he's definitely becoming _restless_ by now, if you catch my drift. You're still coming right?"

Was she? Well the answer would have definitely been yes if Riku were going. But she wasn't sure that was happening anymore. She needed to find out for certain.

"Give me a minute, Selph," the redhead returned her gaze to beyond the glass panes.

"Why, what are you going to do?" the brunette's eyes turned serious.

"Just give me a minute!" Kairi pressed. "I don't look over _your_ shoulder like a fucking perverted poltergeist." And as soon as she said it, Kairi regretted it. "Sorry, Selphie," the redhead said softly with a sigh. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I do," Selphie muttered.

Kairi pretended not to hear. "I'll be there in a second. Nothing stupid," she smiled.

"Good," Selphie replied. _You've done way too many stupid things lately._

As soon as Selphie left, Kairi quickly manoeuvred through the unused rooms until she intercepted Riku and Sora as they were coming in from one of her Wutainese-inspired gardens.

"Hey," she greeted the windswept couple, determined not to look at Sora. She heard what happened to him from Wakka and didn't want any reason to feel sorry for him and his plight. This was not how this game was going to play out.

"Hey," Riku replied softly. His beautiful half-lidded gaze made her feel more self-conscious than she has in a long time, and she inconspicuously straightened her dress.

"Hi Kairi," Sora mumbled, disrupting her thoughts.

"Hey Sora," the redhead acknowledged before turning back to Riku. "I see you found him. That's a relief."

Riku smiled wearily. "Yeah," was his simple reply.

"Are you…going now?"

Riku looked at her unreadably, and then nodded without any words.

"Oh," Kairi felt herself deflate. Without even knowing, her arms lifted and wrapped themselves around her, despite it being a rather warm night for autumn.

Riku quickly shut the door, thinking it was the breeze they had let in.

"So um…I guess you're not coming out tonight," she stated, eyes to a random spot on the wall behind them.

"Sorry, Kairi," the silver-haired teen apologised quietly. "Sora and I aren't really feeling up to it tonight."

Kairi nodded mutely with a wry smile playing on her lips. "Well it's probably a good thing that I'm feeling rather tired all of a sudden myself," she laughed it off.

Riku gave her a strange look, like how he used to when the redhead cracked a joke awkwardly and he simply didn't get it but didn't feel mean enough to call her out on it.

"No, go ahead. Have fun tonight, Kairi," Riku assured his best friend. "I don't mind."

Kairi simply shook her head. "But it'll be weird without you, now that you're back. It's alright, I'm happy to wait for you."

She glanced at him discretely wondered if the silver-haired understood the full implications of those words. And if he did, whether he was going to pretend not to.

"Alright. Next time," Riku promised, revealing nothing. "I'll see you soon, Kairi." And then he left, leading Sora away by the shoulder. They looked like the couple they proclaimed to be. Caring and sweet and there for each other.

Riku used to be more precise. He would used to say something more like, "I'll see you tomorrow, Kairi" or "I'll call you tonight". 'Soon' was much too vague for her.

.

.

"Kairi?"

What _was_ it with today? Something was definitely plotting for the demise of her sanity. Since when did upper-class society visit kitchens? So much for a private shortcut back to her room.

"Hey, wait!"

It was Tidus.

Kairi came to a stop and turned to him with raised eyebrows. She hoped her face betrayed none of the highly-charged emotions she was feeling, as that would simply be too embarrassing.

"Where'd you go?" Tidus seemed a little out of breath, his lips and cheeks were more healthily flushed than usual.

"I went to see Riku out," she replied. It was sort of true. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"What?" Tidus gave her a funny look. "Um…I was invited?"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "I meant in my kitchens, Tweedledee. Did you not eat enough at dinner?"

"Oh," the blond laughed. "No. I just wanted to get some water. For the first time in history, champagne and wine is abundant, but water is not," he cracked a grin. "I couldn't spot any waiters so I figured I'd go get a glass myself."

Kairi frowned. Surely they hired enough waiters for such a semi-formal event. After all, it was a smaller engagement compared to the parties Ariel had thrown in the past, and therefore easier to manage for the hired help. She quickly dismissed the thought.

"But what are _you_ doing here? I thought Selphie was with you. Anyway, we're leaving now. Vincent says that that amazing DJ will start soon."

Kairi tensed her jaw. "I'm not going to come, actually."

Tidus raised an eyebrow at that, "And why is that?" but he didn't give her enough time to answer. "Nevermind," he sighed. "Kairi, you really shouldn't let Riku dictate what you do or don't want to do. I know you've been looking forward to this. So I say, let's just go," he jerked his head towards the door.

But the blond's words had the opposite effect to encouraging her. Kairi's breaths unknowingly quickened as she felt herself backed into a corner with no way out.

"This…has got _nothing_ to do with Riku!" she snapped immediately. And as quickly as she changed, her tone reverted back to a calm state. "I…" a heavy sigh and pursed lips. "Look, I'm just not feeling too well, okay?"

Tidus gave her an unreadable look. "Fine," he finally let it go. "I'll tell the others then." He placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Just know, we're here for you, okay?"

Kairi grinned at him. Had it been anyone else, she would have felt smothered by their over-protectiveness. But this was Tidus.

"I already know, blondie."

When Kairi retreated up to her room, she ripped her RagDoll dress off, and threw off her jewellery, scattering them around the floor. A single ring rolled through the door and into her ensuite. For a second, Kairi solemnly stared in through the door, contemplating the little 'panic attack', that according to Wakka, Sora had had in there that night.

She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. Wordlessly, the redhead swept her gaze around the room several times, but as her boisterous friend had said, there was nothing out of the ordinary that she could see. Kairi shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Wakka was obviously high at the time and imagined quite a few the details that emerged in his second and more detailed recount after Riku left to go find Sora.

"Kairi?"

The auburn-haired teen turned around towards the door of her bedroom. "Yes, mother?"

"Kairi, did you speak with Riku tonight? It seems he left before your stepfather and I were able to meet up with him."

"Yes, mother, I did."

"Did you talk to him about what we discussed," the beautiful and glamorous fiery-haired woman questioned, looking expectantly at her daughter with identically dark cerulean eyes.

"No. I didn't get a chance to."

The current Mrs. Cobra frowned. "Silly girl. You're lucky I had a chance to speak with Sephiroth instead. Please do as I asked of you, like we discussed, Kairi."

Kairi's brows crinkled in frustration. "Why?" she couldn't help but wonder.

But her mother refused to answer it. "It's not a time for 'whys'. The reasons will become clear to you soon enough."

Kairi didn't reply, but she nodded tiredly. "I'm really tired right now, Mother. I just want to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Alright. Good night, Kairi. It seems I've been away from my guests for long enough."

Kairi felt ready to collapse after the prominent presence that was Ariel Cobra-Spencer left her in her room. She felt both physically and mentally drained, wanting nothing more than the soothing comfort of the unconsciousness of sleep. However, as she moved for the bathroom to wash off her makeup and get ready for bed, Kairi's foot caught on something. She frowned when she bent down and picked up the offending item.

It was the ring Riku had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She had cherished it like nothing else, leaving it untouched in the same velvet box it was presented in, almost afraid to wear it. Kairi took it out a few nights ago and spent hours just looking at it, remembering back to simpler and better times. But now, it was just a symbol of cruel irony, mocking her in her plight straight to her face. With a scowl, Kairi viciously pulled open the drawer of her desk and threw it inside with a resounding thud. She no longer wanted to look at it.

.

.

Tidus cocked his head to the side as he stared at the words in front of him.

"Procrastination is like masturbation," he read aloud to himself. "At first it feels good, but in the end you're only screwing yourself."

It didn't take long for the blond to dissolve into laughter.

Clicking onto the next link, baby blue eyes eagerly awaited another humorous procrastination quote. "Procrastination increases the risk of cancer by 50%."

He almost chocked on his own saliva.

So this was one of the ways how handsome, popular, rich, athletic, smart and all-around perfect Tidus Kilpatrick liked to procrastinate: by looking up useless quotes and random facts and statistics on the internet, 78% of which were made up anyway (according to another statistic).

Of course he wasn't procrastinating the _whole_ time. After all, he had a golden-boy reputation to keep up. The blond had spent the last hour and a half relentlessly working on his Economics paper, all the while cursing his strict teacher for setting an assignment only a week into the year.

Honestly. How can anyone _possibly _be that cruel?

Letting out a huge undignified yawn, Tidus stretched lazily in his swivel chair like he was warming up for the Olympics. The blitzball vice-captain brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his weary eyes, tired from staring at a computer screen for far too long.

He was so sick of thinking about supplies and demands and about how fucked up the nature of the economic market was, being run solely on greed and self-interest. It was such a morbid view of humanity, and if his parents hadn't insisted, he definitely wouldn't have taken the subject.

And he definitely wouldn't be wasting his afternoon away, writing a useless paper about those same human vices and their effect on the economy until his fingers cramped up from typing to the point it hurt to flex them.

There were so much more better things he could have been doing on such a lovely Thursday afternoon, when he didn't have any afternoon classes on account of spare periods. For one, he and Selphie, who also didn't have classes Thursday afternoons, could have driven down to her family coastal estate for a lazy beach evening. Or he could have been playing a friendly game of blitzball with Wakka and Riku, now that he was back. Or he could have even been grabbing a drink and a game of pool down at 7th Heaven with Leon, the undisputed bar pool champion. Well that is, as soon as he found out where and what Leon has being doing lately.

Damn Wakka for not doing his work honestly. Tidus knew he usually just paid the smart kid in the economics class the year below them – Pence? – to do his economics homework for him. Tidus has time and time again shown his disapproval, but Wakka usually laughed it off, saying something like he's honest in the stuff that counts, like in Blitzball.

But speaking of Wakka, something the other boy said that night last weekend at the Cobra-Spencer event seemed to have stubbornly stuck in his mind like toilet paper would on the bottom of your shoe. It was only a passing comment, but Tidus picked up its true importance.

"_Exactly wha' I meant,"_ Wakka had retorted when Tidus had asked him to explain properly what he said about Sora's behaviour. Yuffie gone to find her boyfriend Vincent, while Kairi had ran off after Riku with Selphie at her tail to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. _"He went fucking nuts. I dunno what happened there."_

"_Did you do something to set him off?"_

"_Nah. He was screamin' his head off by the time I go' there, ya? Almost clawed my arm off when I tried ta get near him ta calm 'im down."_

"_Seriously?"_ he remembered asking.

"_Fuck _yeah_, brudda," the red-haired teenager was adamant. "Got really vicious fo' a bit. Then started ta mumble shit. Like somethin' about shadows and yellow eyes and destiny islands, ya know? Really crazy shit. But then it was like he realised where he was an' calmed down, askin' fo' Riku. It was really strange."_

And now days later, in hindsight it wasn't what Wakka described Sora doing that stuck out, though they were still doubtlessly befuddling. It was more what he had said. Specifically, two words.

Destiny island.

It took a few days of confusion, but when he finally got it, it was like being struck by lightening. Suddenly, he had had an epiphany. Despite how Wakka had interpreted it, Tidus believed it was an actual geographical place.

Tidus had once had a dessert containing an unusual fruit called paopu, he believed it was called, at a well-known fusion restaurant in Agrabah. For some reason (probably because of his constant procrastination looking up useless random facts), the insignificant detail that paopu was only native to the small micro-island nation of Destiny Isles had never left his memory.

And now he thanked that arbitrary memory, as he believed that that was where Sora was from. And if that was were Sora was from, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that that was _also _where Riku had spent the last year and a half hiding!

A beaming smile shined on his face as his energy returning in a peaking blast. Finally. A lead, no matter how shaky, to solving this mystery.

Quickly closing down his half finished report, the blond pulled up an internet page to a search engine. With barely contained excitement, he speedily keyed in the letters which made up 'Destiny Island', his previous finger cramps a mere wisp in insignificant history.

A click. And search.

Results: sharp blue eyes scanned the headings and the snippets of text written under each.

The first few links were encyclopaedic entries about Destiny Island and the Destiny Isles.

.

_Destiny Island. A small sub-island of a chain islands known as the Pacific micro-island nations of the Destiny Isles. With an area of 29.3 sq kilometres and a population of 8,880, Destiny Island is renowned for its paopu fruit industry. Just a few kilometres off the isle's main trading centre Twilight Town, situated on the main island – Hope Island, Destiny Island has maintained a steady…_

.

There were also plenty of newspaper article headings – local news from the Destiny Isles. A local shipping business expanding. Improvements made to Twilight Town's railway system. Two teenagers died in a drunken car accident. A local orphanage burnt down. The town mayor's recent controversy for suspected bedazzlement of funds allocated to the yearly paopu festival. The unexplainable rise in teenage gang activities and how parents should be concerned.

All the usual doom and gloom one could expect to find in the papers.

Peppered throughout the results were either links concerning the paopu industry or famous brand names with either the word 'destiny' or 'island' in it.

Overall, nothing of real interest.

After clicking fruitlessly into many of those links, Tidus was deflated to find nothing worth noting. Another dead end.

He shook his head at himself. After all, what else did he expect from a half-baked hunch based on a murky memory?

Besides, they had once exhausted all their combined resources to locate Riku, and came up with nothing. Why would that change now that Wakka, half high, thought he heard the mumblings of a boy in the middle of a panic attack?

Tidus let out a sigh and decided it was best to finish his paper before further procrastination forced him to waste anymore afternoons on this dreaded but annoyingly consuming topic. And by annoyingly consuming topic, he didn't just mean his economics essay.

.

.

Unbeknown to Tidus, the object of his frustration was currently musing over an entirely different scenario.

Riku has been treating him like glass the past few days and Sora wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. The silver-haired Samuel heir was constantly hovering about, making sure he was okay. Sure it was nice that Riku now paid so much attention to him, but Sora, nonetheless, kind of missed some of his more private alone times.

Well, there were good bits of course.

Like how Riku said "I love you" more. He could almost forget what Kairi had said when he looked into those warm eyes right before his boyfriend kissed him.

And also like how on Sunday night, spontaneously out of the blue, Riku had asked him if he wanted to go on a date.

Yes a date, Sora recalled fondly. He hadn't gone on one with Riku since back on the island. And the only reason he had blushed at the idea of a date was recalling how _that_ had ended. Him pressed up against the side of a building, shirt half pulled off and pant buckle undone, almost getting caught with Riku's hands down his pants and hickeys being marked on his neck.

And _then_ Riku had to go suggest they go see a movie and get ice cream. Like that last time when the blush-worthy thing happened. Sora swore Riku used to be more subtle than that.

So they went on a date to the nearby ice-cream shop on Sunday night, and Sora had ordered an extra large triple flavour stacked wafer cone of a paopu-flavoured scoop on top of a sea salt-flavoured scoop on top of a strawberry-flavoured scoop. His favourite combination.

He remembered Riku telling him that he had no idea how Sora could fit all that ice cream into his little body.

Sora had retorted that for ice cream, anything was possible. And that he wasn't little.

Riku just smirked in his Riku way before pulling Sora along for a stroll along the River Styx – the long river which Radian Garden was built around, that ended in a harbour of the city's most trendy hotspots. They actually had a chance to have a nice walk and chat before Riku decided to give into his hormones and drag Sora back to Hollow Bastian and throw him onto the bed and pull off his sweater and rake his teeth along Sora's neck and–

Oh gosh. Please don't let him be blushing.

_Oh Gosh!_ _Please don't let him have painted that by accident!_

Sora quickly brought himself back down to the real world and stared at the canvas in front of him in mortification. It seemed his hand took on a life of its own in the absence of his mind and had painted the entire ice-cream wafer cone that Sora had eaten that night onto his canvas. Well, at least it wasn't some else more…crude…

Sora set down his paint brush and cocked his head, contemplating his painting. He was currently sitting in Art, his last period on a Thursday, trying to think of a theme for the final twelve pieces of artwork which made up his assessment for this class.

Someone let out a long whistle.

"Dark," the dirty-blond haired boy commented from the table next to him. "But nice."

Sora shot his head towards the speaker like a frightened deer. "Um…thanks."

"What's it meant to be of?" the boy continued to ask, scrutinising his painting.

Sora felt a little self-conscious. He didn't even know if he _had_ any talent in art, after all. All he knew was that drawing was a great way to release and escape, as there was nothing else available back on the island.

"Um," the brunet scratched his head. "I don't really know. I just…painted."

"That's cool," the other teen nodded. "Let you heart lead the way and your hands take control. Very deep. I like it."

"Yeah," Sora responded unsurely.

"So what are those black things meant to be? I mean, I can tell the ice cream cone is an ice cream cone," a paint brush pointed to his painting. "But I haven't a clue what those other things are. Are they meant to be abstract?"

It was then that Sora took a long hard look at his work, and realise exactly what he depicted. While the ice cream cone he had just drawn remained bright and colourful and vibrant, the background of the painting was dark and melancholy – a palate of blacks and greys and browns and burgundies. And amidst the chaos were shadows. Black shadows with golden slits for pupils.

Sora almost dropped his brush.

Those _things –_ they seem to permeate every aspect of his life. First his fear of the dark, and now emerging in his art. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"So?" the blond boy's curious voice called him back out from his thoughts. "Abstract or what?"

"Yeah, abstract," Sora replied shakily, eyes still trained on his painting.

"Ace. It's pretty cool you know; it's kind of like those pictures mentally scarred children draw for their psychologists. You're really hitting the mark there."

How little did this boy know just how close to hitting the mark he really was.

"That is such an awesome theme," the other teen continued, oblivious. "Dude, you're so creative. You should totally continue with it. Who knows, maybe pretending to paint other people's release would actually let you work through any bad stuff you have deep down of your own. Art _is_ therapeutic."

Well that got Sora's attention. "Yeah? You think?"

"Definitely," came the nod. "Or if not, you'll just get an A. You're pretty good you know."

"Thanks," Sora smiled. "What's your theme going to be on?"

His blond classmate let out an unsure sound. "Haven't decided. Probably something strange and intense. Like small town mentality or something like that." He turned his kind hazel eyes to Sora. "I hope it'll be as cool as yours."

"I'm sure it will be."

They fell back into comfortable silence, each working on his own painting. Before long, there was only a few more minutes left of class. Sora immediately went into panic mode.

Should he say bye when the bell rings? Should he introduce himself too? Or would that be too forward? And what if this boy didn't _actually_ like Sora and was only trying to be nice by talking to the weird silent kid that nobody else would? What if Sora makes a fool of himself by trying to be friends with someone who had absolutely no interest whatsoever in being his in return?

Sora's head began to hurt. He wished Riku was there to tell him exactly what to do about the complexities of social interaction.

When the bell finally rung a set of loud and shrilly rings, Sora still hadn't decided what to do yet. The opportunity was slipping away…

"Oh, nice to meet you, by the way," his dirty-blond haired neighbour suddenly said as he was packing up his things. "I'm Hayner," he stuck out his hand with a toothy grin.

Sora hesitantly took the hand. He was so glad Hayner decided to make the first move seeing as he, himself, was hopeless. Hayner gripped his hand in a firm hand shake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sora."

"Well," the other teen stood up. "I'll see you next class then, Sora. Sit in the same spot?"

Sora's face split into a wide grin. "Yeah, okay."

With a mock salute, Hayner exited the classroom.

Sora, meanwhile, was incredibly excited. It seemed the week was slowly looking up, first with Riku's complete and loving attention, and now this. It seemed that Sora, all by himself, had made a friend.

.


	9. Pt I, 9: Friday Night Lights

_**The Long Weekend Away**_

_By: sillysunshowers_

.

**.: PART I: Chapter 9 – Friday Night Lights :.**

.

"–and then I realised I _completely_ forgot to set the timer but it was _way_ too late by then."

Hayner was zealously recounting to Sora the story of why his failed attempt at making pancakes for his girlfriend ended up with his new strange semi-Mohawk haircut.

"So I had to run all the way back to the kitchen before I accidentally burned down my girlfriend's house with her still inside, you know?" his hands flailed wildly.

"Anyway. I get back to the kitchen, and I _swear_, the entire pan was alight like a mini bonfire. The flames were seriously _this tall_," he exaggeratedly gestured with his hands the height of a small child or a fully grown dwarf.

"So I grab a cup of water and throw it onto the pan, and BOOM!" He slammed his hands down onto their table, for effect. Sora jumped from surprise while everyone else in the class turned around to stare.

"The whole thing explodes like a steam bomb and all it did was almost give me steam burns. So then I grab a tea-towel and started to beat the shit out of the flames, but my hand accidentally catches the handle and the whole pan flipped right on top of me! Almost burned my face off! The fire bits thankfully missed my head, but then I turn around, and there's ash and black pancake bits _everywhere._ Some of it was still burning away on the floor!"

Sora laughed at the thought.

"And on top of that, the tea-towel had caught on fire! It was really hot, so I threw it back onto the stove, but that only made the flame grow bigger. But then I remembered that pouring sand on a flame would douse it so I grabbed the salt and poured the entire bottle onto the fire. Thank _god_ it worked. But the bad thing was...well it's a little embarrassing…" he suddenly turned pink.

"You've already built it up," Sora reminded.

"Oh, alright," Hayner gave in, not missing his chance to boast. "But don't laugh…I _may_ have accidentally set my hair on fire."

Sora just looked at him. Then burst out laughing.

"Hey!" the dirty-blond looked hurt. "You promised."

Still chuckling, Sora tried to reign in the giggles. "Sorry. Please continue."

Hayner was sulking. "Fine," he agreed. "But no more laughter."

The brunet nodded. But his face was anything but serious. "So, how long was your hair before?"

Hayner threw him a dirty look. And then he grinned. "You know, this is the first time I've seen you tease so much."

And on cue, Sora flushed, realising just how much he must have grow lax on his self-vigilance, exposing himself to someone he barely knew. Stupid.

"So anyway," Hayner's short attention span barely saw the twitch in the corner of Sora's lips. "There I was standing nude in the kitchen wearing only my apron – which was now the colour of coal, mind you – the stainless steel pan was burnt to a crisp on a slightly burnt floor, and this massive chunk of my hair completely fried off, I turn around and what do I see? My girlfriend standing right there looking at me weird. Olette gives this loud sniff and was like, "Something smells burnt," as if it wasn't _obvious_. And then she's all like, "What the hell are you doing, Hayner?" and I all I could do was stand there going, "Ummm….making pancakes?". And before she gets out of her state of shock and gets angry (and I'm talking _really really_ angry), she gives me this look. Like a really _weird _look. Like a "you're an idiot, why the hell do I know you" look. Which I so _am! _Urgh!"

Hayner slumped down dramatically in his chair.

"And all I wanted to do was to surprise my girlfriend by making her some breakfast. But instead, I burn half my hair off _and_ I'm completely banned from her house. And now, I'm stuck with this…_weird thing_ until it grows back," he gestures to his floppy hair, where one side was significantly shorter than the rest and the other side was cut to imitate it.

"It is a bit…uneven," Sora bit his lips to keep his tone neutral and amusement-free.

"I realise," Hayner rolled his eyes, pulling a face. "Do I look like I'm made of money to you? Scholarship, man," he mumbled dryly into his sleeve, now slouched over the table.

"But I thought pancakes were simple to make, aren't they?" Sora pondered aloud with amusement. He had seen Riku make them a few times, and it seemed relatively simple. But then everything seemed easy to Riku.

"Well how was _I _suppose to know the batter would cook so quickly. Otherwise I wouldn't have left it unattended for so long," the other teen cried. "Girls. _Completely_ and _utterly_ unreasonable."

Sora really couldn't see anything unreasonable about Hayner's girlfriend's reaction to him half burning down her kitchen.

"So anyway," Hayner glanced sideways at him, watching him add more stokes to his canvas. "Any relationship troubles yourself?"

Sora frowned. He just had to ask. Sora was already sick of thinking about it.

"Um…no."

"Oh," Hayner said, not really caring either way. "It just seemed like that's usually what broody people contemplate about."

Sora's brows drew up together in a curious look. "I'm a 'broody' person?"

Hayner just looked at him out of the side of his eye, and let out an snort. "Oh yeah," he affirmed.

Sora just went back to his painting. Even if he told Hayner anything, it's not like the blond boy would understand. After all, what would _he_ know about all the things that Sora has been through, and was now facing? And even if he did, it's not like Sora could tell him anything. It was a lose-lose situation.

But his motor functions never seemed to listen to his unflinching logic. His mouth opened on its own volition, and his tongue formed words without his permission.

"Well," he played with the word, delaying the eventual confession. "There is someone I know who's got some problems. Not me," he quickly added.

Hayner paused in his own art and looked at the brunet, giving him a knowing smile. "Oh, I see. Someone you know huh? Well what's troubling this other anonymous person?"

Sora didn't even seem to realise that Hayner had caught onto his game. And if he did, he didn't show it.

"Well. He's in a relationship with this person. They get along really well and have lots of good times together, but lately, he realised that he just doesn't seem to fit in with the other person's life or friends. He feels like an outcast among them."

The dirty-blond shrugged. "Everyone feels like an outcast in a relationship every once in a while. It's suicide to try to know everything about the other person's life…You tell your friend," he quickly added with a decisive nod, an overly serious expression on his face.

Sora looked pensive. "There's also this other thing."

"Shoot. It's what Dr. Hayner, the love guru, is here for."

Sora spared him a weird look before continuing. "Well my friend kind of had a talk with a good friend of the person he's in the relationship with. And this other friend said that he should back out of the relationship because he would only get hurt in the end."

"Uh..huh…"

"And I–…my friend keeps having stupid unfounded jealous thoughts about how close this friend is with the person he's going out with. They're always together and sometimes he feels left out. Which is _completely_ unfounded because they're best friends, see."

"You know what I think?"

Sora turned immediately and watched Hayner with the utmost attention.

"I think you should just tell this other 'friend' to shove his fucking ego up his ass," he actually looked a little angry. "Who cares if they're best friends? Purposely breaking up your best friend's relationship, particularly if there's nothing really wrong with it, is more than a shitty thing to do. If any of Olette's friends tried to break _us_ up by tell her I'm not worth it, I'd bloody," he made a wild gesture of smashing something on his knee, hazel eyes flashing.

"Well," the croppy-haired blond added as an after thought, pulling a sheepish face. "not the girls, of course. It's wrong to hit girls. Anyway," his angry look was back. "What _you_ should do, Sora, is tell this loser 'friend'," he put his fingers in quotation marks, "to get lost and go find himself his _own_ goddamn girl."

"It's not me! It's for my friend!" Sora cried immediately, paint brush spinning through the air in his flailing grasp it almost drew zigzags on Hayner's face. "I swear!"

He felt instantly bad for lying.

Hayner's knowing smirk was also giving him the creeps.

Sora's shoulders drooped in defeat, and then he said in a little voice, "Is it really that obvious?"

Hayner nodded solemnly. "Oh yeah. Standard tactic in Brooding 101. Divert attention with 'the friend'.

"Maybe," Sora thought the advice over. "But it's not as simple as that."

"Pft," the other teen waved him off, "It's never as complicated as you think–"

Oh what he _didn't_ know about Sora's predicament…

"–but seriously. Tell this bastard where to shove it and not steal other people's girlfriends."

Sora didn't bother correcting his misconception of the genders of the characters, considering the less than warm welcome they had received after Riku came clean.

"Hmm," he made a noncommittal noise, not looking forward to either possibilities of warning Kairi off or just pretending everything was perfectly fine.

He delicately painted two red lines onto his painting. Long, jagged, and harsh crimson marks clawing through the canvas.

"So," Hayner said, carelessly colouring in a mess of his painting, "You going to the blitzball game Friday night?"

.

.

Bright lights flooded the stadium, illuminating every crevice so that not a single shadow would be able to thrive unnoticed. The floors had been polished to such a gleam, it looked to be coated with a thin sheet of ice. Dominating the stadium was a giant sphere of water, encased by a strong invisible force-field to retain its shape and contents. Cocooning the dome in were rows and rows of bleachers extended from the walls, reminiscent of the rigid structures lining the inner walls of a beehive. It was designed in such a way so that every spectator was guaranteed a seat offering only the best and most unobstructed view of the court as possible.

In his head, Riku could see the stadium filled with spectators, donned only in Auroch's colours, cheering on their team, cheering for him. It felt like a lifetime ago since he was last in this same stadium. Except he was the captain then, greeting their thunderous admirers, and not just another substitute for more valuable players.

But in the present day, those roaring cheers, the rhythm of drums and the chants of the cheerleaders no longer excited him to the same degree. But rather, from his vantage point on the sidelines, it depressed him. Those encouragements weren't for him. No one cheered for deserters.

His felt a sharp jab on his shoulder as someone roughly collided with him from behind. "Sidelining it, Samuel?" Tarzan mocked as he walked past.

"Otherwise he'd screw up, wouldn't he?" a tall brown-haired guy Riku didn't recognise added with a sneer. He must have only been recruited in this last year.

Riku was really starting to resent their treatment of him. The constant little jabs here and there, the barely masked insults slapped hard across his face, leaving bruised stinging cheeks. And now, even no name newbies who wasn't even _there_ when it happened have begun to bully him with as much natural ease as required for breathing…

"Hey!"

Tidus' stern face materialised behind the brown-haired boy, a warning hand placed on his shoulder. The cocky boy winced under the pressure of his vice-captain's hard grip.

"No one's gonna screw up anything," the blond's eyes were hard. "Unless you plan to let your undeserving self-importance get in the way of the team…is that it?"

The boy shrugged in response, but nonetheless did not retort. He turned and sullenly trailed after his team out onto the court and into the light of welcoming screams.

Tidus watched him go. "Don't worry about it, Riku. It'll take them time, you know?"

Riku grunted in reply.

"Just go out on the field and play a fucking good game. They'll respect you for your skill, if anything."

A genuine smile slipped out past the silver-haired ex-captain's lips as the blond current vice-captain gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

"Yeah."

.

.

"Holy shit! Isn't that Riku Samuel? Is he back onto the team now? Wow. Didn't expect that!"

Hayner strained his neck to get a better view, eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief like a cartoon character.

"Yeah, weird he's back," his friend, Pence, added neutrally. "He's benching though, not playing."

Hayner's girlfriend, Olette, just shrugged without any interest. Instead, she seemed to be far more focused on the book that laid open in her lap.

"Not just weird. It's fucking _insane!_" Hayner had pretty much leapt up from his seat, squinting, trying to see the court more clearly. "I thought the team would bloody _lynch_ him on first sight, not let him rejoin." He turned back with wild excited eyes, gesticulating in big movements. "This is like…blitzball's flying pigs moment, you know!"

It was then that Hayner spotted his girlfriend's preoccupation with something other than his beloved blitzball match. He pulled a face.

"Olette," the blond whined. "Why are you _reading_ of all things during a _blitzball match?_ And the first of the season too."

The blonde girl just shrugged again. "I just don't find it all that interesting," she replied without looking up.

"And..." he snuck a glance at the title on top of each page, " _'White Oleander'_ is? If you don't like blitzball, why are you here anyway," he pouted.

Instantly, Olette's gaze snapped up from the page, eyes sharp and blazing blue. "I came here to support you – my boyfriend – in his interests, with or without his stupid haircut resulting from his own stupidity. So maybe you should do the same for me, hmm?"

Hayner looked shocked for a split second and then quickly apologised, mumbling something about pleasant surprises and pancakes, and Olette went back to her reading. Pence sniggered quietly in the background.

"Geez, women. Never get into a relationship with one," Hayner turned to Sora, who was sitting on his other side. "They're trouble, I'm telling you."

"Heard that," came Olette's light voice.

They were like an old married couple.

.

.

Originally, Sora had planned to come to see Riku's game alone. He wanted to see this sport that Riku had talked so much about. Of course they had played informal mock games back on the island, but Sora wanted to see it in its full glory: held inside a proper blitzball stadium with real blitzball players, as opposed to a bunch of clumsy kids kicking a ball in the makeshift court of the ocean floor. But after casually mentioning it once while in the presence of Hayner, the blond had jumped on the chance to gush about his favourite sport – blitzball – and demanded that Sora meet up with them at the game. It turned out the Hayner was quite the blitzball fanatic. His room was apparently covered in blitzball posters, memorabilia and other blitzball related items. He had every major bitzball league season on DVD, and even rarely missed their interschool blitzball games. It apparently drove Olette crazy.

But Sora could now see how someone could become so obsessed with such a sport now that he was seated in a packed stadium, suffocating in the anticipation and excitement of all the fans for the start of the first inter-school blitzball game of the season. The bleachers drowned under a tsunami of yellow and black. There was only a tinge of blue and white, the colours of the visitor team, Ronso Fangs.

A roar erupted, feet trampling the ground like a stampede, when the cheerleaders came jogging out onto the field, in perfectly uniform lines. They immediately cartwheeled and flipped their way into a complicated synchronised routine, yelling encouragements until the crowd was on their feet, almost screaming for the beginning of the match.

Sora could see Selphie's mousy brown hair near the head of the pack, her long legs kicking and stretching beneath a short yellow and black skirt, green eyes sparkling with exuberance. Almost instantly, she caught his eye. Selphie beamed brightly and waved at him.

Completely unprepared for her kind gesture, Sora had froze for a moment, trying to comprehend the situation – where Selphie initiated a greeting to Sora, and not the other way around. Unwittingly, a smile bloomed on Sora's lips. He waved back hesitantly.

Selphie bellowed out a laugh and winked at him. She then turned her gaze elsewhere, to the left of where he was sitting, searching for someone. Her eyes twinkled when she found them.

Sora followed her gaze.

There they were. The power clique, all having assembled for this occasion – only Leon seemed to be absent. It was easy to see why they were the object of admiration and worship for so many, students or not. Their presence were so surreal, they could have walked right out of someone's dream. So beautiful and perfect, they were like poised ice sculptures in the midst of rough unfinished clay mounds.

Kairi in particular, Sora noted.

But maybe that was only because he feels so unworthy compared to her. He was the broken twig next to her diamond.

As if hearing his thoughts, the redhead turned her head, sapphire gaze locking onto his own. She didn't say anything, or make any gestures of acknowledgement. She only stared unblinkingly, before looking away again as if nothing had happened.

Sora's mouth felt a little dry. He quickly wet his lips to replace lost moisture.

Perhaps Kairi just didn't see him. There were, after all, a lot of people gathered here tonight.

"Whoa," Hayner's awe was almost tangible, mindlessly splicing through Sora's thoughts, shredding his preoccupation into pieces. "Did _Selphie Tilmitt _just wave at you? She's one of the…you know…_elite._ How do you know her, you sly dog?"

"Um…" Sora flushed for no apparent reason. "I kind of know her through Riku," he started to say but he was drowned out by the spectators' sudden cheers, Hayner leaping to his feet along with them.

"It's about to start," the blond said gleefully in a sing-sing tone, hands almost rubbing together in anticipation.

The players had submerged into the water dome, already having taken their positions in the sphere. Their hair weaved softly through the water like smoke on the dawn.

Within moments, the first whistle screeched through the air.

But instead of becoming transfixed under the spell of blitzball, Sora found his gaze being absorbed by the seated figures occupying one of two sets of benches at the foot of the water sphere. One of them had shoulder-length silver hair and sat ramrod straight on his place, unlike his slouching team mates. It was as if he was unable to decide whether to give in to his natural interest in the sport and lean in to watch the game more closely, or to lean away in an effort to get away from it, and thereby ridding himself of the whole mess and particularly his part in it.

.

.

Riku didn't particularly enjoy being a benchwarmer. After all, he had once led this team to victory. He was the one who gave the pep talks at the start of every match, and shook the opposing captain's hand at end. But now, he was disposable. Only a substitute for a worthy player – a mere shadow of what he once was.

Riku didn't know what he wanted. He both loved blitzball and hated it. He loved it because it was freedom – the one place he could be himself and have people cheer him on, instead of turning away in disgust, because of it. But at the same time, blitzball reminded him of all the reasons why he ran away from Radiant Garden in the first place. All the pressure and bureaucracy and discrimination along with it.

And somewhere in the sea of eyes watching him intently from two different angles, were both simultaneously Sora and Kairi. Sora sat with some new friends whom Riku vaguely remembered from years ago, while Kairi was with the others. Never in a moment did Riku realise how similar they were, and how much importance they commanded in his life. Yet, it was just as painfully obvious that they were so different. They would probably never coalesce compatibly.

Kairi was like a fire burning in the night, every now and then flickering resiliently in a cool evening breeze. And Sora was like the calm sea on a clear summer's day, sporadically subject to a heavy forecast of storm clouds.

Riku shook his head. It was giving him a headache to think about these things. He was so tired from mulling over this same conundrum the last few weeks to the point where they started to gnaw his mind until only smithereens of the original remained.

Kairi and Sora. He was never good with choices.

Instead, Riku tried to focus his concentration entirely on the game.

They were at a precarious part of the game. Time had already elapsed a chunk into the second half, and despite Cid's less than pleased half-time pep-talk, not a single goal had yet been scored from either side. It was in these moments where the understanding that a single goal could carry the weight of the entire game on its shoulders sank the heaviest.

Unlike some other sports where points were given away like candy, one must _earn_ their points in blitzball. In blitzball, a single goal could be the drop that burst the dam between victory and defeat, pride and humiliation.

The tension of the crowd and the tension of the players entwined together in a perfect harmony, buzzing with anxiety for the final outcome. From his vantage point, Riku could almost smell the sweat of concentration leaking from the players' pores, mixing in with the chlorine water. If he strained his ears enough, the frustrated grating of their teeth would almost become audible.

Cid was yelling at them from the sidelines, thrusting his arms with every word as if it would change the outcome of the match. _"Dodge, you little fuckers!" "There's an opening, Hubert, goddamnit! Can't you recognise one even if it's flashing you in the fucking face?"_ It's a miracle that no one even heard, let alone complained about his use of profanities in a teaching position, particularly among minors.

They needed this win. Apparently, the Besaid Aurochs had not done particularly well the last year. Winning the first match of the season would inspire confidence, paving their way to hopefully another championship.

Perhaps it was the pressure such a realisation, or Cid frantic and obscene coaching methods that finally broke Tarzan's mental equilibrium. In his frustration, he lashed out and punched his opposition in the face during a scuffle for the blitzball. His long dreadlocks floating around his head like the snakes of Medusa, hissing his anger.

The referee immediately blew his whistle and flashed him a red card, motioning him to immediately leave the court.

"_WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, PORTER?"_ Cid screamed in his ear as the dreadlocked boy stepped out of the water dome, leaving a trail of soggy footprints in his wake. "Are you fucking INSANE? You beat his pansy arse in the parking lot _afterwards_, not IN THE FUCKING GAME!"

The brunette remained silently cold, closing his eyes as if to drown out the world, trying to regain his equilibrium.

"And where did that get us, huh? Now one fucking player down! Fucking happy now, Porter? Get the fuck out of my face!" he spun away furiously, only to flash the referee a death glare for the surprised look the other sported at the way he treated his players. "Problem?" he called sarcastically.

"It's your substitute," the ref replied instead. "Or I'm calling time out."

"Shit!" Cid swore to himself and crossed his arms, flicking intense glares between his substitute players and the water sphere, cogs turning wildly in his mind. Finally his hard pale blue eyes landed on Riku.

He clicked his jaw menacingly and cracked his neck. "Samuel," the tall man finally barked. "Get in there."

Riku glanced up in surprise, then at the water court where Cid jerked his head. He couldn't believe that Cid was sending him out in the first game. He thought he'd have to wait at least another month or so before the man actually allowed him into the sphere, let alone play the first game.

"Me?"

Cid sneered. "Deaf now too, huh?" he leaned in.

"No," Riku said and started towards the sphere, barely able to contain a wide grin.

"If you fuck up, Samuel, you're never allowed back into that court again," Cid called behind him for good measure. This was sadly his way of encouragement and inspiration to his players.

But Riku couldn't hear him. Green eyes instead scanned for his brunet lover, to see if the other was watching this moment as he took his position inside the dome. He hoped Sora was proud. Sora always said he wanted to watch Riku play a proper game of blitzball.

Tidus gave him a wide smile as he swam past to his position of Right Defense, while Olympus, the Left Defense, scowled. Wakka just watched him, countenance strangely blank and devoid of expression.

His opposition, a lean black-haired boy with a hard face, sized him up from every angle. Instead of being intimidated, Riku felt a thrill flow through his body. It was the electricity of the game, knowing that within minutes, they would be diving, clawing, elbowing and tackling for the ball as if their life depended on it. He would be able to finally let his ugly self loose without repercussions. He knew his opponent felt the same way.

As soon as his eyes adjusted to their new liquid environment, Riku was able spot Sora through the invisible curtains of water. The brunet was sitting in the front few bleachers, patiently waiting with a little smile on his face.

So adorable. This game goes out to you, baby.

He wondered if Sora could see his smile from so far away.

Vying for attention, a persisting motion nagging in his bottom peripheral vision finally won its bid to draw his eyes. Riku glanced down and saw Selphie gesturing wildly at him, yelling words that only dissolved to murmurs through the water. She stuck her thumbs up at him, giving him a cheeky smile.

_Good luck. Kick some arse, Riku._

It was a familiar wordless conversation they used to have at the beginning of every game.

Riku gave her a thumbs-up back.

_Will do, Selph._

Selphie didn't reply. Instead, she suddenly started to frantically gesture into the crowd, mouthing words that were too fast for him to work out. Riku followed her hands until he saw familiar faces. All the others were there. Kairi was first to notice him. She gave him a wave. It was only a small casual gesture, yet it seemed so much more significant even from within a sea of restless bodies. Riku smiled back with a small wave of his own. She beamed.

The game soon started.

There was energy. The water literally sizzled with it, carrying its electric current until it zapped into the spectators as well. Their expected cheers and boos and other equally enthusiastic shouts confirmed this contagion. Riku forgot how free it felt to glide through the water, concentrating on nothing but an inconsequential dimpled ball which seemed so much larger than life in the forty or so minutes it is used in a play.

The ball came whizzing towards his direction, intended for the Ronso Fang on his left. Riku darted towards him, ignoring the burning in his lungs due to being out of practice, refusing to break to the surface to take a breath until he had that ball safely in his clutches.

A few metres left. He stretched out his hand. The light bending qualities of the water made it seem closer than it actually was. The other player saw his approach and frantically raced for the ball as well. They were now within equal distance to their shared prize going for a nose-to-nose photo finish, with only speed to determine the distance.

_Almost there,_ he strained.

Out of nowhere, a flash of red shot down like a volcanic eruption and stole the ball within centimetres of his grasp.

Wakka swung the ball back as far as his arm would let him, and hurled the ball dead in the centre of the triangular goal with all his might, using his original momentum to speed the blitzball forward. It shot through the water like a blur of dimpled lightening. The crowd hung on its every movement.

However, within the last seconds of the home stretch, the Fang goalie caught it, stopping it in its tracks, and threw it back to his own team mate, ignoring the boos of Auroch supporters.

Wakka shrugged it off as if it was nothing and straightened his blue bandana, refusing to expose his bitter disappointment. The team were too far emotionally invested in the game to be bothered reassuring their captain that it was a fair effort that just sadly didn't make it.

Riku frowned, but more from the fact that Wakka, his own team mate, had snatched _his_ ball from under his very fingers. Did game etiquette change while he was gone?

Another whistle reverberated through the water and the ball was back into play.

This time, an unfortunate throw landed a little way to the right of Riku. Running purely on his blitzball instincts, Riku dove at it without a second thought. His hands closed around the ball, fingers running along the edges of each dimple. But once again, the obstruction which stopped him from taking the ball was not his opponent as it should have been, but another team mate. This time, it was the cocky Athenian.

Hercules Olympus actually smirked at him as he jammed his shoulders hard into Riku's arm. He mouthed something at him, a jeer in the way his lips moved, and then tore the ball from Riku's hands, nails carelessly scratching Riku's skin, leaving angry red welts. The sandy-haired athlete's green eyes flashed with satisfaction as he viciously knocked the silver-haired boy away, swimming for the goal like a hungry blood-hunting shark, all the while dodging killer-whale opponents.

The crowd hissed in confusion and sympathy.

.

.

"_Fuck_," Hayner flinched physically as Riku Samuel was shoved to one side. "I knew it was too strange to be true. But why let him play if their just gonna bully him out on the field?"

Pence shrugged. "Public revenge?"

_Was it?_ Sora wondered, worry clouding his mind as Riku rubbed his arm with a blank face. _Why do so many people hate you so much, Riku?_

.

.

_Arsehole._

Riku's jade eyes narrowed after the Athenian boy. He was glad when the sandy-haired athlete's goal attempt failed, despite it being an entirely counter-productive attitude for their team as a whole.

Both the goalie and another player of the Fangs had forced Olympus back, trapping him from all sides, pressuring him on his possession of the ball until in the heat of a struggle for dominance in which all three rolled hazardously closer towards the outbound regions of the sphere, the ball itself was accidentally knocked all the way to the other side of the court, right towards Riku.

There was no question on what to do. The ball came safely into his possession, and with the goalie trapped amidst tangled struggling limbs, the goal was open and clear of obstruction.

Riku darted forward instantly and flung his arm back, feeling the familiar and much missed acbing of muscles straining for more energy. In a most practiced movement, the silver-haired player hauled the ball forward like the way athlete discus-tossers would throw a light Frisbee. It flew towards the goal too fast for the eye to detect.

The goalie saw the danger approach and dove back to the goal, arms reaching out to protect its current vulnerability. The tips of his fingers scraped the sides of the ball, forcing it to veer off its intended course.

But not enough so.

_DING! DING!_

The sound echoed.

The bell had spoken. The first goal of the season went to Riku Samuel – the returning champion.

.

.

Hayner's cries were thunderous and Pence joined in on the proud screamed cheering of the spectators in the stand.

"Holy shit!" they were saying. "He fucking scored! It's in the bag now!"

Even Olette looked up from her book, curious to see what had happened.

Sora had leapt to his feet at the excitement, hands clapping on its own accord like he was one of those robotic wind-up toys that clapped and walked straight-legged and stiffly with every wind. A sense of elation flooded through him at a victory which wasn't his own, but he felt nonetheless. He was also proud for Riku. How this would cheer his dark moods up, he thought happily.

Hayner was still screeching with zeal.

"Ha ha ha," he bellowed happily and practically jumped on Sora, throwing his arms around the smaller boy, engulfing him in the biggest hug of his life, while blocking stunned ocean-blue eyes from seeing anything beyond Hayner's jumper. "This is so awesome!" he was saying.

The blond's happiness was contagious. Sora laughed as Hayner let go and returned to his seat, cheeks flushing and eyes coruscating with excitement.

"You'll be a blitzball convert yet," he said, ruffling Sora's hair affectionately. "Just you see."

Sora beamed like a child on Christmas.

.

.

He had suffered the group pats and congratulatory tackles before, but had forgotten just how strong his team mates were and how hard a 'pat' could be, especially an excited one. Riku was still rubbing his sore arms as the boys finally receded back to their positions. But nothing would rub the smile from his face. They had called him "brotha" and "mate" and said "good goal" and "you're alright, Samuel."

The silver-haired boy could even hear Cid bellowing happy expletives on the sidelines, sneaking in subtle mocks at the visitor team's expense.

It was like Tidus said. They just needed to see him play – see how good he was – and everything would be fine.

Only Olympus didn't bother, but that didn't matter. He even thought to return the other teen's earlier sentiments. Riku cocked an eyebrow with an ironic grin. It made the other boy scowl. Good.

But when Riku glanced up from his silly self-flattering thoughts, he noticed Wakka standing off a little away. He had a strange half-smile on his face. At the same time, it was congratulatory for his success, but there was also a hidden element behind the sentiment, straining to reach the surface. Something…he couldn't quite place.

Wakka averted his eyes, unable to hold his gaze.

There was definitely something going on, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

He felt his smile dim a little.

Then his gaze darted beyond his redhead friend and out into the roaring crowd, almost chanting his name. Green eyes struggled to find a little brunet with deep blues and rosy lips. And when they finally located their target, it was not a sight he expected.

Sora was wrapped up in the arms of his new blond companion, their cheeks placed against each other, burying their faces into each other's hair. He hoped he wasn't seeing what he _thought_ he was seeing.

_But can one ever be sure?_

When the two separated from the embrace, Riku noticed they were both suitably flushed. And Sora was smiling, which he rarely did so easily in the presence of others.

No. _Beaming_ was more like it.

A cold stab pierced Riku's heart.

It was what he always feared by bringing Sora into his oppressive and beguiling world. And it was playing out right before his very eyes.

That Radiant Garden would either crush Sora's fragile spirit and destroy all that was good and beautiful within him, or, conversely, it would drive him away after having discovered the truth – just what sort of a person Riku really was, and what sort of a hellhole that had spawned from.

Having his pride hurt the way it did in the dome could not have done anything for Hercules Olympus' needy ego. He only scowled the whole way through Cid's end of match speech (in which a few rare kind words were spoken over an ex-captain) and acted like a spoiled child all throughout the showers, angrily swatting away team mates' efforts to calm him or ask what was wrong.

"He's so bloody childish," Tidus murmured in Riku's ear, detachedly eyeing the sandy-haired Athenian button up his shirt. "It a wonder he's not still in primary school, learning basic manners."

_Money doesn't buy brains,_ he would have answered.

Riku would have laughed, too, under any other circumstances, but that day, he was no longer in a light-hearted mood. Instead, the silver-haired mustered a half-hearted smile and hoped his blond friend would peg it down to tiredness.

He fell for it.

But Olympus was much harder to dispel.

As Riku reached down to stuff his towel into his gym bag, a tap of the foot forced him to look up.

Olympus was there waiting for his attention, arms folded and lips pressed in a harsh line. "Just so you know, _ex-captain,_" he poured his sarcasm into the title. "This changes nothing. You're still a shit-kicker and no lucky shot is going to change that."

Riku narrowed his eyes. He was _not_ in the mood for this.

"Mine was a lucky shot, was it?" he replied softly, straightening up menacingly. "So does that make you unlucky? Or just plain untalented?"

Snap.

"What d'you say?" came the low growl.

"I said at least I can score a goal, while the only thing you seem to be good at is losing the ball for us." He noted with satisfaction that he seemed to have struck an insecure cord with in the Athenian. "Now, move."

"Cocky homo," the snarling teen muttered resentfully under his breath as Riku pushed passed. "Get over yourself."

Riku froze in his step.

He did not just fucking say that.

"Pardon?" he swung back with sharp cat-like eyes.

Olympus snapped up his head to face him. "I called you a gay faggot. Would you like me to repeat it a second time?"

They glared at each other, like two predators circling each other before the fight to the death. The tension between them crackled like whips, instantly alerting the other boys in the change room of their hatred. With the morbid fascination people exhibit over car crash sites, they formed a circle around the two lions like vultures surrounding a carcass.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, voice as quiet as like whispers of darkness. "Could you? I didn't quite hear you."

"Okay then, you deaf ass-fucker," the Athenian boy spat, crossing his arm. "We all know you're a shit-dick shirt-lifter. Do you check us out in the shower after practices? Hiding in the cubicles, jerking off to the images of our cocks?" he taunted, leaning in with a wicked smirk. "Go run back to your faggot retreat. We were doing just fine last year without you."

Riku breathed in sharply. His furious green eyes seemed to be alit with white flame. The anger pumped erratic adrenaline through his system, soaring through his veins and thumping his heart with thrice-fold of strength.

Throwing down his gym bag, Riku immediately leapt at the other boy, who, in turn, met him with equal ferocity halfway.

.

.

"He got into a fight," Tidus reported and quickly turned back again.

Everyone seemed stunned. Especially Kairi and Sora.

Riku had changed so much over the last eighteen months that he seemed like a completely different person now – much calmer, more mature, and less thoughtless in his actions. The new Riku would never get into a fight without a reason, particularly if he should currently be elated for scoring the first and only goal for the match. It was like they had travelled back into time and was seeing the old Riku again – the one who didn't care so much about anything.

"With who?" Kairi asked breathlessly as she and Sora whizzed through the chatty dissipating crowd behind Tidus.

"Hercules Olympus," came the blond's reply. The name rang no bells with Sora.

"Olympus?" a frown appeared on Kairi's brows. "But he used to worship Riku."

Tidus breathed a laugh humourlessly. "A lot has changed since then, Kairi." He then turned to Sora. "Sora, you have to calm him down," he said.

Sora seemed surprised that he turned to him, and not to the redhead beside him, who had known the silver-haired a lot longer than he had. Kairi seemed to be feeling the more or less the same sentiments as he, but more negatively. She frowned and looked away.

"Okay."

"Good. Here we go."

They had reached the entry of the boys locker room. Tidus was about to push it when it swung open on its own accord. And speak of the devil, Riku came marching out. A bruise on his left cheekbone and cut marred the corner of his lips.

He froze in shock at the sight of them, not expecting anybody on the other side, let alone the three of them in particular.

Riku opened his mouth, but no words came out, so he closed them again. His tired green eyes surveying their worried faces, waiting.

Sora needed no prompting at all. The sight of his boyfriend and best friend's beaten face made him want to quiver and wrap his arms around the silver-haired, kissing the bruised skin away.

"Riku," he began to say, "are you okay? What happened in there?"

But something happened at that moment. His voice was entwined in the sound of another's voice, mouthing the exact same thing, word for word. The two tones created such a sharp dissonance that only those who knew the whole back-story would be able to detect it.

Riku's sharply blank face and Tidus' cocked eyebrow forced Sora and Kairi, both shocked, to confront each other, sizing each other up.

It was the two of their voices, together and at the same time, uttering the lines: "Riku, are you okay? What happened in there?"

"Um…" Kairi filled in the silence. Her surprise at their synchronised words was doused in a cool detachment; a shield erected in her now matte eyes.

"Um…" Tidus repeated, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, eyes darting between the two and the object they were vying for – Riku. He hated to get in between these kinds of things. It always ended messy. And now – the challenge for the day was to find a way to get out of there as safely as possible and completely unharmed.

But before anybody could respond, the sounds of heavy boots stomping on the ground grew louder and harsher as it came nearer. Cid Highwind threw open the door in all his fury, his long trench coat blowing behind him like a pirate flag.

"Tuesday, Samuel," he snarled, pointing at the back of Riku's head with two angry outstretched fingers, ignoring everyone else as if they didn't exist. His pale blue eyes were like two burning coal lumps fashioned in the furnaces of Hell and placed inside the eye sockets of Cid's head. "Bright and _fucking_ early, got it?"

He didn't wait for a reply, nor did Riku give one. The large blond man pivoted around and stomped off, the tail of his coat swishing behind him like a frightened yet dutiful bulldog.

Riku's green eyes had dulled to almost a shade of washed out olives. He glanced at the faces of Sora and Kairi – his lover and best friend, his other best friend and previous love. They were the one and the same, yet not.

Riku closed his eyes to block them all out. He didn't want to do this now. He had no strength to choose right now. He was so tired. So so spent.

_Just let me breathe for a bit, please._

Without a word, the silver-haired Samuel (ironically) pushed straight through the two of them – between the two frozen great preoccupations of his life – without a backward glance. He strode down the hallway, soon turning the corner and disappearing out of sight.

Nobody stopped him.

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_**A/N: **_Reviews are appreciated. But as long as you read it all, then I'm happy.

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